Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to incorporate in the Hansard an answer to a question asked of me by Senator Colbeck yesterday on matters relating to Tasmania.

Leave granted.

The answer read as follows—

MINISTER FOR EDUCATION - Senate

Question Without Notice

Senator Colbeck asked the Minister Representing the Minister for Education (Senator Carr), without notice on 15 September 2008.

Senator COLBECK (2.52 pm)—My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Carr. Why is it that all applications for funding from Tasmania under round 1 of the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program were rejected?

Senator CARR—I am not certain of the accuracy of that statement and I will take further advice from the minister concerned. There has been an assertion made. I need to check that with the minister directly.

Senator COLBECK—Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. For the minister’s information, there were only two applications. While he is asking the minister, could he ask if it is because the government has done a special deal with the Tasmanian Premier, who is also the Tasmanian Minister for Education, which will see the funding go to the Tasmanian government’s Tasmania Tomorrow reforms, which were rejected by 76 per cent of college teachers in a recent secret ballot. Was the member for Braddon, Mr Sidebottom, misleading his electorate when he said in his pre-election brochure: Trades training in every local school ... Labor will build new labs and workshops in schools like—and he goes on to name every school in Braddon, including Marist Regional College and St Brendan-Shaw College, who had their applications rejected.

Senator CARR—What I can tell the honourable senator is that since April 2008 the government has made available 42,000 training places through its Productivity Places Program, which is for people not currently in the workplace. Training places provide jobseekers with qualifications from certificate II through to diploma levels. There has been an outstanding response to the program and all the places available for this year have now been fully utilised. So I can only presume that the senator is now suggesting that there has been some inadequacy in terms of the supply of places in Tasmania; I do not believe that to be the case. To ensure jobseekers are still able to access training in crucial skills shortage areas for the rest of the year, last week the minister announced an additional investment of $45.5 million for an additional 15,000 training places at certificate III level to be available to jobseekers (Time expired)

Response

The Minister for Education has provided the following information.

Why is it that all applications for funding from Tasmania under round 1 of the Trade Training Centres in schools program were rejected?

Answer

• The Trade Training Centres in Schools Program will operate over 10 years, with a total of $2.5 billion funding.
• It will provide all secondary schools with the opportunity to apply for funding of between $500,000 and $1.5 million to build or upgrade their trade training facilities and equipment.
• The first phase of funding for the Program saw $90.27 million of the $2.5 billion allocated to 34 projects, encompassing 96 schools.
• The application process was very competitive. Consistent with the assessment process outlined in the Program Guidelines, all applications undergo a rigorous assessment against the published assessment criteria of quality of proposal, need and capacity to benefit, value for money and financial viability.
• Final decisions are essentially dependent, though, on the quality of applications. Applications that do not meet a certain quality standard do not progress through the assessment process.
• In Tasmania two applications were received and in this competitive process both were unsuccessful in Round One (Phase One). These schools are eligible to reapply in Round One (Phase Two) of the Program and have received feedback to assist strengthen any future application.

Has the government done a special deal with Tasmania Premier, who is also the Tasmanian Minister for Education, that will see the funding go to the Tasmanian government’s Tasmania Tomorrow reforms?

Answer

• The Trade Training Centres in Schools Program is designed to complement existing State and Territory Government investment in trade training. In their applications, all schools must demonstrate that they will complement and consider existing and/or planned State or Territory initiatives.
• The implementation of the Tasmania Tomorrow reforms does not impact on Tasmanian schools’ ability to apply for funding under the Trade Training Centres in School Program.
• Tasmanian schools wishing to apply for funding were advised that their proposals were to be consistent with the strategic direction of the Tasmania Tomorrow initiative.