Ross Lightfoot (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator the Hon. Amanda Vanstone. Will the minister inform the Senate of the government’s efforts to assist employers in regional areas fill apprenticeship positions? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lightfoot for the question. We are introducing a new trade skills training visa. This will be a great opportunity for regional Australia to build and a great opportunity for young Australians in regional Australia to ensure that they can undertake apprenticeships. This is simply because there are some opportunities in regional Australia not being taken up by Australians, and that means that some of the off-employment training that takes place has got fewer students in regional Australia. That makes some of those courses not viable. If the course shuts, it means that the Australian students in the course obviously cannot go on with it, so it makes it hard for them to get an apprenticeship.

We were approached by employers and trade-training companies to allow overseas students to come and take those positions if Australians are not available to take them up, and we have acquiesced to this proposition. We have said that the regional certifying bodies, the people in the local area, will have to certify that an Australian was not available to take up the position. Once that has been done, we are happy for an overseas student to come and pay the full fee for the trade place. This is something that senators on the other side well understand in terms of universities, and, if it is good enough for overseas students who can afford to come and pay money to get Australian qualifications and take them home or maybe decide that they want to stay here, it is good enough for kids who are doing a trade as well to have that opportunity for their families to invest in them to get world-class trade qualifications.

Of course, the regions are happy about this because it means that you will have a baker in Mount Isa or a mechanic in another town where they had a shortage and that the training courses that might otherwise become not viable in regional Australia will have extra students in them. The important point is that all the fees are paid by the overseas student and a local certifying body has to certify that an Australian was not available to take up the job.

I was asked what we have on the other side as an alternative policy. There were some remarks put together by Tony Burke, the opposition spokesperson. It frankly shocked me to hear Mr Burke say: ‘What is going on in Australia? We will be having apprentices from Beirut, Bombay and Beijing.’ You do not have to be very bright to figure out what is going on there. Why did Mr Burke select Beirut, Bombay and Beijing?

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Perhaps it was the alliteration!

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is pretty clear what is going on there. This is a return to the old Arthur Calwell Labor Party—absolutely. If all he was after was some alliteration, Mr Burke could have said, ‘We don’t want apprentices coming from Belfast, Blackpool, Brighton or Bristol.’ But he did not say that, did he? No. He left the English towns out. He only chose the Middle East, the subcontinent and Asia to complain about. I think the Labor Party needs to get their immigration spokesperson quietly in a backroom and just ask him whether they really want to go back to the days of Arthur Calwell. Is that what you are really on about?

George Campbell (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What was Costello on about?

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have made it clear that the money is being paid by the overseas students, that Australian jobs are protected, and all you can do is go out and have a big dog whistle. You should be ashamed of yourselves!

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There is far too much noise in the Senate today and the last interchange of interjections across the chamber was most unsenatorial.