Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I think I will have to take the question on notice. I remind the Senate—I am sure Senator Rhiannon knows—that the states actually administer the vocational education and training systems. We are a funder of those systems and this government has greatly increased the funds going into the vocational education and training system. We also have a national partnership with the states where we agree on the objectives. We are in the process of renegotiating the national agreement and the national partnerships, which are due to come into effect on 1 July 2012. Those processes are looking to try and make sure we get better outcomes from the Commonwealth's investment in the state training systems, but the systems themselves are administered by the states. Your question really goes to the principles the states have been applying, so I think I will take that part of the question on notice.