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

Congratulations, Mr Speaker. 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's economic plan is supporting Australian apprentices today to get into the high-quality, well-paying jobs of tomorrow? Why is it so important that we invest in the skills of young Australians, and how does this contrast with previous approaches?

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 Lindsay for her question and recognise all the hard work she's doing to support the apprentices in her area, noting there are 1,750 apprentices right now working in Lindsay, the highest number ever. That's what the member for Lindsay is delivering for her area. Indeed, I had the pleasure of meeting many of them at Baker & Provan earlier in the year. Prime Minister, I believe you may have also had that opportunity. It is a great achievement for the Penrith community, but it is also a great achievement for the member for Lindsay in what she is doing. It is important to the nation, especially as we build out the Western Sydney airport or help manufacture the mining equipment so urgently needed in the Hunter.

But Western Sydney is not the only area that is enjoying a golden era of trade apprentices. I am pleased to advise the House that the Morrison government's economic plan has now delivered the highest number of Australian trade apprentices on record—217,400 trade apprentices right now. In fact, the numbers from July of those training right now are the highest since records began in 1963. The Morrison government is the best friend that apprentices have ever had. Indeed, in the face of the greatest shock since the Great Depression, the Morrison government has secured a generation of Australian trade apprentices, with $6.4 billion in funding this year, on top of $5.9 billion last year. Our supporting apprentices and trainees wage subsidy provided $1.9 billion to over 74,000 employers. Our $3.9 billion Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage support has surged commencements to these highest levels. In fact, over 79,000 Australians have commenced an apprenticeship or a traineeship in the last 12 months alone. And we're not done there yet. We're backing it in with our $716 million completing apprenticeship commencements wage support. Commonwealth funding to the states is at the highest level ever to back in the skills work the states are doing, whether it's funding their TAFEs or their other RTOs.

Mr Speaker, you know how important apprenticeships are. You started as an apprentice after your monastic sojourn. But compare that to the $1.2 billion ripped out by those opposite between 2011 and 2013 in nine separate cuts. Compare that to 111,000 people dropping out of traineeships and apprentices, the drops in numbers from 2012 to 2013 because of the decisions those opposite made. Australian apprentices will always have a far better deal under the Morrison government.