Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

As I told the Senate yesterday, there is a chorus of criticism in relation to this new policy. The South Australian Council of Social Services Executive Director Ross Womersley has said that cutting back on training places would hurt the disadvantaged and lead to skills shortages when the NDIS comes into effect. The Master Builders Association have highlighted that the new policy could lead to construction skills shortages and higher costs for home buyers. The reality is that there is wide range of criticism from the social services sector through to the business community, who all recognise that this will have detrimental impacts on training, on skills and on employment in South Australia. I have met with all of those who are concerned, yet the South Australian training minister, Gail Gago, is hiding from her critics and is unwilling to meet with them. She should be willing to do what we have done—sit down and listen to their concerns, address this policy and answer the criticisms that are so real. (Time expired)