Mary Doyle (Aston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the statement made by the Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon. Brendan O'Connor MP, on these fundamental reforms of revitalising national planning in the vocational education and training sector through the establishment of Jobs and Skills Australia and the creation of 10 jobs and skills councils. This is one of our greatest assets for ensuring that the country is well positioned for meeting the nation's target for better skills in the future, and meeting those challenges will be no small feat. What this is about is creating more opportunities and a more secure economy. Achieving that means tackling one of our greatest economic challenges in decades—the lack of skilled workers. We understand the extent and urgency of those challenges for Australian industries. The Albanese government has inherited the most significant national skills shortage in decades, and we must provide greater opportunities for Australians to acquire the skills they need to secure rewarding and sustainable employment.

The OECD data identified Australia as having the second-highest labour shortage amongst OECD countries, and the skills priority list shows that occupations in shortage nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022, jumping from 153 to 286. In March 2022, the former National Skills Commission predicted that, over the next five years, nine out of 10 new jobs would require post-school qualifications, with four out of 10 new jobs requiring vocational training. Jobs and Skills Australia and the new jobs and skills councils will work together, and they will play a critical role in developing and directing training and education in priority workforce areas. That may include people marginalised by age, health, gender, disability, culture, language or socioeconomic background. A key priority will be improving opportunities for First Nations people. This is an opportunity to improve education and employment outcomes for people who have historically experienced labour market disadvantage and exclusion. The Albanese government will set the skills and training sector back on the right path, enabling a better, more secure future for all Australians.

The jobs and skills councils will have a new strategic role for industry, and the first major task of each jobs and skills council will be to consult across their industry sectors to develop workforce plans that address both existing and emerging skills needs. This is about addressing skills shortages and supporting key industries that make our economy run. The jobs and skills councils will use industry based knowledge, understanding of trends, and real-world experience. They will work with educators and training providers to develop world-leading qualifications for workers and employers, drawing on the best of industry knowledge and the expertise of educators. The jobs and skills councils will be critical in delivering the skills our workforce and economy need.

Ten tripartite industry-led jobs and skills councils are now established. The 10 areas are: energy, gas and renewables; agribusiness; early educators, health and human services; arts, personal services, retail, tourism and hospitality; public safety and government; manufacturing; finance, technology and business; mining and automotive; building, construction and property; and transport and logistics. These jobs and sectors are the ones we turn to in our daily lives, in moments when we are in desperate need of help, and we need people to be trained to help all of us. This is what the Albanese Labor government is all about—helping everyone so we can help each other.

We came to government last year with a promise on fee-free TAFE. We thought 180,000 enrolments in fee-free TAFE courses over a six-month period was ambitious. Well, almost 215,000 enrolments occurred in that time frame. That's 51,000 care sector courses, 16,700 technology and digital sector courses and nearly 21,000 construction sector courses. These are people who will be trained with skills that will help build our nation and deliver services to those who need it.

Fee-free TAFE supports Australians who have struggled to break into the labour market. In keeping with our government's commitments to the ideals of social justice, fairness and equality, we have seen over 15,000 people with disabilities and almost 7,000 First Nations people enrol in courses. Women make up over 60 per cent of enrolments—that's nearly 130,000 women taking up further skills and training, empowering them to follow their dreams. Ninety per cent of future jobs will require post-school qualifications, and 40 per cent will require vocational-level training. These are sustainable jobs for the future for Australian workers, and all of these jobs require advanced skills and training that can be accessed through TAFE.

The government wants to ensure that Australia has the skilled workers our economy needs, while also giving every Australian the best opportunity to secure a stable, well-paid job. We must have a strong TAFE at the heart of our training, and our TAFE sector must be significantly complemented by other high-quality VET providers. That is why we are serious about stamping out unethical and badly performing operators, strengthening the integrity of the entire vocational education and training sector.

In my visits to schools and Swinburne TAFE, I heard that students want to learn these skills. That is why we are committed to building a strong, resilient and dynamic skills and training sector.

For too long there has been a tendency to see university study as superior to TAFE. However, we need to support both to keep up with skills needs that are growing faster than ever and to have the skilled workforce to best face the national challenges of our time. By working in genuine partnership with our state and territory counterparts, our fee-free TAFE program is the flagship initiative that will help support key industries experiencing skills shortages. It's focused on areas of emerging growth while providing access to vulnerable cohorts, including the most vulnerable in our communities. This is about tripartism—working with employer organisations, unions and independent directors, who are represented in jobs and skills councils' governance arrangements through board composition and membership structures. That is why the minister and this government have this ambitious plan for Jobs and Skills Australia and are committed to building a strong, resilient and dynamic skills and training sector.

See this speech in context