Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Hansard source

One of the worst aspects of the global recession has been the effect on training. I have said before in this chamber that apprenticeship commencements over the past 12 months have dropped by 21 per cent. The government has been doing everything possible to turn this around. That is why the government put in place in the stimulus package a 10 per cent target of contract labour hours for apprentices. This means that apprentices are keeping their positions on stimulus projects. That 21 per cent would be much, much worse if it were not for the stimulus package.

Also, with the support of the Australian Greens and Senator Fielding, we have been able to reconfigure the Jobs Fund to improve incentives for apprentices. We have been able to almost treble the commencement bonuses for apprentices—up to almost $5,000—for the summer period. That means that we are going to see more carpentry apprentices, more plumbing apprentices, more electrical apprentices, more fitters and turners et cetera. This is how we will get through the— (Time expired)