Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank our great senator from the Northern Territory for her question, and I am pleased to advise the Senate that last week the Prime Minister and I announced that the Morrison government would be turbocharging our commitment to create new apprenticeships in Australia.

Senator Wong interjecting—

Senator Wong, actually, the word 'turbocharging' is exactly what we are doing. That is because last year, in October, we announced that the government would create 100,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships through our Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy. It provides 50 per cent of the apprentice's wage to the business that takes on the new apprentice. The program has been incredibly successful, and I would like to thank all the employers out there, because it's the employers who have provided opportunities to these apprentices. And we created the 100,000 new commencements in less than five months—100,000 apprentices and trainees, in less than five months. As a result of this, we announced that we are now uncapping the program. Any business that now takes on a new apprentice or trainee up until 30 September 2021 will receive the 50 per cent wage subsidy for a full 12 months. We've seen the creation of now over 100,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships within that five-month period, and we now want to see the creation of tens of thousands more.

This is all part of the skills led recovery getting us out of COVID-19. This is about backing opportunities for Australians, particularly young Australians, as well as helping Australian businesses to get the workers with the skills they need. This is, as I said, thanks to the fantastic employers out there—around 40,000 of them—who have put their hands up and taken a new apprentice or trainee into their business. (Time expired)