Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Trade Loans Amendment Bill 2023. As the minister noted in his second reading speech, since the introduction of trade support loans in 2014, apprentices who've taken advantage of this scheme are 10 per cent more likely to complete their apprenticeships than those who have not. I am also pleased that this government is expanding and revamping the scheme. There will be a new priority list extending the loans not just to apprentices but also to trainees in critical occupations. This means that enrolled nurses, personal care assistants, therapists and dental technicians will be eligible for the first time. This means an end to the existing rules which restrict the program to a limited group of trade occupations, occupations that tend to be dominated by men rather than women. This legislation will extend eligibility to non-trade occupations, and, as the latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research cited by the minister demonstrates, it is the non-trade categories that overwhelmingly attract women.

Close to 100,000 women, 95,335 to be precise, as at September last year, are in non-trade apprenticeships and traineeships—that's 76.8 per cent of all the women who are in apprenticeships and traineeships. If this initiative will encourage more women to conclude their courses, that will be for the good, because, in Australia, women remain an underutilised resource. Recent data from a partnership between Chief Executive Women and Impact Economics and Policy found that increasing women's participation in the paid workforce would address Australia's current skills shortage and have a long-lasting impact on productivity. The study found that engaging women in paid work at the same rate as men could unlock an additional one million full-time skilled workers. Grattan Institute data also estimates that a six per cent increase in female workforce participation would add $25 billion to Australia's GDP. As Grattan's Danielle Wood noted in her keynote address to the Jobs and Skills Summit last year:

… if untapped women's workforce participation was a massive ore deposit, we would have governments lining up to give tax concessions to get it out of the ground.

I will keep repeating that quote to ensure that it lands.

This legislation appears to be one small step in the right direction. In its original incarnation, it encouraged more apprentices to complete their qualifications. I see every reason why these measures will provide further support and encouragement. Importantly, it's designed to encourage more women to enter and complete those qualifications. Equally importantly, the new priority list will have the flexibility to include occupations in early childhood education, aged and disability care. These are all areas of priority and where we have significant shortfalls in the number of qualified workers that we need. But, when it comes to women, we must also not forget what are termed 'traditional trades'. Completion rates for women in construction and building trades are lower than for men in many cases because women find the workplaces an unfriendly, unwelcoming environment. These are factors that we, as a parliament and a society, still need to address.

We must also develop a strategy to channel women and girls into the industries that will emerge from the coming renewables revolution. If we do not, we will have yet another hi-vis male-dominated trades based sector that is neither attractive nor indeed safe for women. Girls care about climate, and they want to do something. It is up to us to channel their enthusiasm into what will be a thriving sector with well-paid, secure jobs. Women and girls deserve a slice of that cake.

I also understand that this legislation has attracted the attention of the education minister, who is interested in seeing whether it can be applied to other areas of higher education beyond the vocational education and training sector. The indications are that, for women, especially unpaid placements as part of their nursing and teacher training, it can be particularly challenging, leading to what is being dubbed 'placement poverty' as they're forced to give up paid work to do their on-the-job training. This can lead to people well through their qualification period giving up simply because they need money now just to get by. I hope the education minister can find a way to adapt this successful and now expanding program to his areas of responsibility.

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