Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Skills and Training, Senator Watt. Building Australia's future is about creating a better life for Australians, building more accessible education and training, and creating new employment opportunities. TAFE education and training plays a central role in providing Australians with the skills they need to get the jobs they want. These jobs are in areas like construction, early childhood education and aged care. What steps has the Albanese Labor government taken to reduce the cost of training, and how is this helping Australians to get the skills they need for the jobs they want?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Urquhart, who I understand is a graduate of Devonport TAFE in the electorate of Braddon. What a fine product of the TAFE system she is. The Albanese Labor government is building Australia's future, including by ensuring Australians have the opportunity to gain the skills they need to get ahead for free. We're delivering free TAFE as part of our action to drive inflation down, lift wages up and create more jobs. In fact, the Albanese Labor government has now delivered free TAFE to almost 600,000 Australians. More than six in 10 places have been taken up by women and one in three in regional and remote Australia. We've had 39,000 people enrol in construction, 40,000 in early education, 54,000 in digital technology and 150,000 in aged care and disability care. Of course, that means huge savings for students.

Free TAFE is on the chopping block under Peter Dutton and the coalition. It's one of the $350 billion worth of cuts they've pledged if they win the next election. Why do they need such savage cuts? Of course, it's to pay for their plan to shout $10 billion worth of free lunches for bosses. Mr Dutton isn't content with his plan to cut workers' pay; now he wants workers to shout their bosses lunch. We finally know how much Mr Dutton's long-lunches policy will cost taxpayers—up to $10 billion a year.

The opposition says this is all about supporting small business, so I was surprised to hear Senator Hume on 2GB yesterday saying the policy would subsidise a lunch at the well-known small business Kentucky Fried Chicken, that battling small Aussie business KFC! She added to that this morning on Sky News telling us, 'After they've had a productive week, take them out to the pub and buy them a chicken schnitzel.' There we have it: the coalition's IR policy. It's schnitties, not skills; it's parmas, not penalty rates; it's wagyu, not wage rises. Under Peter Dutton you will be worse off. You cannot afford Peter Dutton.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister Watt. I remind you to refer to those in the other place by their correct titles. Senator Urquhart, first supplementary?

Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Under the Albanese Labor government, almost 600,000 Australians have enrolled in free TAFE. Mr Dutton and the coalition have described free TAFE as wasteful spending. How is the government's free TAFE policy helping Australians with cost-of-living pressures while investing in the future, and why is this so important?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Free TAFE is making a difference to Australians, and that's why we're making it permanent. It's getting Australian workers and employers the skills they need all while reducing cost-of-living pressures. That is probably why Mr Dutton and the coalition want to cut it. We've heard them call free TAFE wasteful spending and say it needs to be cut. This, of course, is coming from the party that has come up with its burgers for bigwigs plan, where taxpayers will subsidise long lunches for bosses. And they still won't tell us what it will cost.

Just today, one day, we've had Senator Hume refuse to say at all how much it will cost on Sky News; we had Sussan Ley on the ABC saying it will be $250 million; we've had Senator Canavan say it will cost less than $250 million on Channel 9; and we've had David Littleproud indicate it will cost about $125 million on Sky News Regional. You can clear this up by releasing the costings. The way this is going, the costings for this policy are a bigger secret than Area 51. They're a bigger secret than Scott Morrison's secret ministries. Come clean and tell us what it will cost.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Watt, please refer to those in the other place by their correct titles. Senator Urquhart, second supplementary?

Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When speaking on the Free TAFE Bill, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said, 'If you don't pay for something, you don't value it.' What are the key barriers to Australians accessing free TAFE, and why won't the government be pursuing alternative policies?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By removing financial barriers, free TAFE is helping Australians to gain skills and build their future. Now, we know that Mr Dutton and the coalition have made it clear that they don't believe TAFE students are worth the investment with snobby remarks like the one from Ms Ley saying, 'If you don't pay for something, you don't value it.'

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've been very Zen over a lot of interjections, but Senator McGrath has been shouting across the chamber for a great deal of question time, and I would ask him to stop.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sadly, Senator McGrath, you have been very loud since we started question time. I invite you to make your contribution during taking note or at some other time. I ask you to come to order.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, I would like Senator Watt to withdraw his personal reflection on the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the other place.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will remind the chamber that that remark, which I will not go into, was being made quite freely by the opposition. I took it in the spirit that it was intended—that it was a joke—but I will ask Senator Watt to consider withdrawing. I'll put you on notice. If he withdraws it, I will not tolerate it any longer from the opposition.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw, President. So, at the same time, the coalition is saying that free TAFE is not worth funding. What they do think is worth funding is their secret plan for $10 billion in long lunches for bosses. The shadow Treasurer, the leading economics spokesperson in the opposition, has even claimed that their long lunches policy is a productivity measure. This week he was asked: 'And where are the productivity gains from? I guess the lunch tax deductions,' and Mr Taylor said, 'We're pulling every lever we can to drive productivity.' It's a 'parmi' productivity plan from Angus Taylor! We know that the coalition is going to cut free TAFE. They've already said they will, just like they'll cut wages. But it's rolled gold for bosses with free lunches.