David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator Cash. With Australia reaching the national double-dose milestone of 70 per cent, how is the Liberal and Nationals government's plan to secure our COVID recovery supporting Australians to gain skills and helping keep Australia's pipeline of skilled workers flowing?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Van for the question. Congratulations to Australians for reaching that 70 per cent milestone. Again, it shows that we're all working together on the pathway well and truly out of COVID-19.

Vocational education and training is something that employers are looking for in prospective employees. It ensures that they are work ready from day one. The Morrison government are well and truly investing in a world-class vocational education and training system. Our government, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, invested approximately $6 billion in skills funding. This was the largest single investment ever to occur in vocational education and training in Australia. As a government, we recognise the benefits of vocational education and training, and that is why we are now investing an additional $6.4 billion over the 2021-22 financial year. So what we now see from the Morrison government is an investment of over $12 billion in skills funding since the start of the pandemic.

What this means is that, whilst other countries have actually shed their apprentice workforces, what we have seen in Australia, particularly because of the successful Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements program that we put in place, is that the number of new apprentices in Australia has increased by 141.5 per cent year on year. That is because of the investments that the Morrison coalition government has put in place to ensure that we were helping those businesses who wanted to keep their apprentices keep them on but also that those businesses who wanted to bring on apprentices had the right policies in place to do that. (Time expired)

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Van, a supplementary question?

David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how many Australians and Australian businesses have benefited from the government's investment in the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a highly successful investment made by the coalition government in bringing apprentices into the workforce. This is a highly successful program, and what we've now seen is around 224,000 Australians taking on apprenticeships right across Australia. What we've also seen now is that over 77,000 businesses have successfully utilised this program, taking on another apprentice or, in the case of some businesses, being able to grow their business and take on multiple apprentices. What we do under the program is that businesses who take on a new apprentice now get 50 per cent of that apprentice's wage, up to $7,000 per quarter, subsidised by the government for a period of 12 months. Businesses out there have until 31 March 2022 to take advantage of this wage subsidy.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Van, a second supplementary question?

David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how will the extension of the government's successful Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy help keep the pipeline of skilled workers flowing now and into the future?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the goals of this particular policy is to protect the pipeline of apprentices today so that they become the skilled workforce that employers can have access to tomorrow. We have now expanded this successful program, the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy, with an additional $716 million. That is because we understand that you put in place those policies that employers can lever off to grow their workforces. They can bring on apprentices. They can bring on trainees. They can offer Australians the opportunity to be trained to be work ready from day one. We have seen, with the number of businesses who've accessed the policies and the number of Australians who've been given an opportunity across Australia, that this is a highly successful program. Again, we've put in place policies that employers can lever off so that they can get the pipeline of skilled workers that they need.