House debates

Thursday, 22 October 2009

Questions without Notice

Climate Change

2:32 pm

Photo of Tony ZappiaTony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion. What is the government doing to ensure that the economy and the workforce are ready to transition to a lower carbon economy?

Photo of Julia GillardJulia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for Makin. I know that he is concerned about how we will respond with skills and training to the challenges of climate change. If you are going to lead the nation in the face of major challenges like tackling climate change then you need to have the capacity to lead. That is something that the opposition leader today has shown he does not have, as leadership on an important topic has passed to the member for O’Connor. Once again, it is true that as this nation faces the challenge of climate change it is the Rudd Labor government that is leading on this question and particularly leading in the development of the skills that we will need in our economy as we move to a lower carbon age.

As an example of us providing that leadership, I remind the House that on 30 July the Prime Minister announced our Clean Sustainable Skills Package. This was a $94 million investment to provide 50,000 young or disadvantaged Australians with training or job opportunities in the green skills that we will need for tomorrow. This package included 30,000 apprentices who will graduate over the next two years with the green skills that we will need for tomorrow. I remind the House that these green skills are needed in the most traditional of occupations, such as being a plumber, a carpenter, a motor mechanic. The nature of that work will change in a low-carbon economy.

This package provided 10,000 unemployed young Australians with the ability to join our national Green Corps initiative. It provided 4,000 training opportunities for people who are going to be involved in installing insulation in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of our nation. It also included 6,000 new local jobs in green skills and heritage projects. This package builds on our investment of around $200 million in vocational education and training through our teaching and capital learning fund, because we know that our VET sector will be providing a leading role in these new clean green skills for the future, and it builds on our $650 million sustainability round and Clean Energy Initiative for our university and TAFE systems to get ready for the economy of the future.

We have moved to deliver the biggest school modernisation project the nation has ever seen—and every dollar, every building, every big of maintenance and every job has been opposed by members of the Liberal Party. I take this opportunity to update the House on the fact that 82 per cent of buildings have incorporated insulation, 81 per cent have incorporated energy efficiency lighting, 57 per cent have incorporated water tanks and 2,400 projects have involved the installation of solar panels.

I am today advising the House that we are taking the next step in our green skills agenda. We will be entering a national green skills agreement with the states and territories, which will commence from 1 January next year, to help Australians get the skills that they will need for the future. Tomorrow I am hosting a green skills forum in Melbourne to consider the draft agreement and to make sure that those who care desperately about ensuring that Australia is prosperous and adapted to a low-carbon age come together for that discussion. This government will of course continue to provide the leadership necessary in the face of the big challenges of our age. I anticipate that what we will see from those opposite is what we have seen today from the Leader of the Opposition: a lack of courage and a lack of leadership.