Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Workforce Skills, Small and Family Business. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government is protecting jobs and keeping Australians in training today to secure our future workforce? Is the minister aware of alternative policies?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and all the work she is doing out there in the western suburbs of Sydney to ensure employment is being maximised. The Morrison government is backing in the next generation of Australian workers through our economic plan, guaranteeing pathways to skills and training through a record $6.4 billion this financial year. It builds on $5.9 billion last financial year. Our economic plan is about protecting jobs, connecting people with jobs and securing our future jobs.

Our highly successful JobTrainer program has supported over 255,000 Australians enrolled in in-demand skills, and the billion dollar expansion we saw in the budget sees an additional 163,000 training places, including 10,000 in digital skills and 33,800 in aged care. Our supporting apprenticeships and trainee wage subsidy provided $1.9 billion to over 74,000 employers to support their trainees and apprentices during all of the last 18 months. Our Boosting Apprenticeship Commencement program provided $3.9 billion to 77,900 employers, employing over 220,000 new apprentices and trainees, and there's guaranteed funding through to the states and territories of over $1.5 billion, increasing year after year, to guarantee TAFE funding. As a result of the input of the Morrison government, we have seen an increase of 140 per cent in apprentice starts year on year. There are more apprentices in trades today than there were before the coalition came to government. It is an extraordinary achievement by this government. But we aren't finished yet. There is still a lot more to go. We want to make sure that every Australian out there has the opportunity for a job.

I can confirm today that the Morrison government has delivered on our commitment to roll out a national network of 10 industry training hubs across Australia—promises made and Morrison government promises kept. The final industry training hub has been operating in Alice Springs for some weeks. That's in the member for Lingiari's electorate, and I'm sure he is pleased to see that. This completes the rollout of 10 industry training hubs—in Alice Springs, Burnie, Townsville, Maryborough, Port Pirie, Shepparton, Armadale, Gosford, Wanneroo and Grafton. I know the residents of Braddon, in Tassie's north west, value the industry training hub, as do the good people of Robinson.

The Morrison government is keeping faith with Australian workers. There are more apprentices in trades than when we came to government, keeping our election commitments. I am asked about alternative policies in this space. I can report to the House that there are none. It's all pretty grim over there.