Sam McMahon (NT, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the fabulous Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator Cash. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Morrison-McCormack government is continuing to support a new generation of skills reform through the extension of the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank our great senator from the Northern Territory for her question, and I am pleased to advise the Senate that last week the Prime Minister and I announced that the Morrison government would be turbocharging our commitment to create new apprenticeships in Australia.

Senator Wong interjecting—

Senator Wong, actually, the word 'turbocharging' is exactly what we are doing. That is because last year, in October, we announced that the government would create 100,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships through our Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy. It provides 50 per cent of the apprentice's wage to the business that takes on the new apprentice. The program has been incredibly successful, and I would like to thank all the employers out there, because it's the employers who have provided opportunities to these apprentices. And we created the 100,000 new commencements in less than five months—100,000 apprentices and trainees, in less than five months. As a result of this, we announced that we are now uncapping the program. Any business that now takes on a new apprentice or trainee up until 30 September 2021 will receive the 50 per cent wage subsidy for a full 12 months. We've seen the creation of now over 100,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships within that five-month period, and we now want to see the creation of tens of thousands more.

This is all part of the skills led recovery getting us out of COVID-19. This is about backing opportunities for Australians, particularly young Australians, as well as helping Australian businesses to get the workers with the skills they need. This is, as I said, thanks to the fantastic employers out there—around 40,000 of them—who have put their hands up and taken a new apprentice or trainee into their business. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McMahon, a supplementary question?

Sam McMahon (NT, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister explain to the Senate how this builds on essential support being provided to keep Australian apprentices on the tools and in work through the COVID-19 pandemic?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McMahon is right: it does exactly do that. It builds on measures we've already got in place. And of course the first measure we put in place was our Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy. That has now kept around 122,000 apprentices and trainees in work, in around 60,000 small and medium businesses across Australia. These are apprentices who, but for this government's support, would have been let go, because the first people to be let go during a pandemic, COVID-19, are of course apprentices and trainees.

In relation to the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy, I can advise that the initiative has so far supported the creation of over 8,000 bricklayers, 6,000 electricians and almost 11,000 people in retail and hospitality work. They are people who, but for the wage subsidy, may not have been taken on. But employers, because of the wage subsidy, have been able to put up their hands and take that new apprentice or trainee into their business. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McMahon, a final supplementary question?

Sam McMahon (NT, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister outline how these investments are continuing to support Australia's economic prosperity into the future?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Morrison government is providing record levels of funding to our vocational education and training sector to rebuild our economy and to also prepare for the future. This includes the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy, as I've talked about; the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy; and the $1 billion JobTrainer Fund. That is, of course, the $1 billion fund that we put together with the states and territories to create around 320,000 additional places—that is, new places in the training market—that are either free or low fee. We have been working with the states and territories. All states and territories signed up to the $1 billion fund. The key to the success of this is ensuring that those training places are in areas of skills demand. In other words, people are actually training so that they can get a job. They are training in areas of demand that will get them a job. We are providing record funding to vocational education and training in Australia because, as the Prime Minister said, this is a skills led recovery. (Time expired)