Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator Cash. Can the minister please update the Senate on how the Morrison government is leading generational change in our vocational education and training system to create a world-class and uniquely Australian training system?

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

I thank Senator Brockman for the question. Indeed, skills and training are at the centre of the Morrison government's economic recovery plan for Australia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And indeed, as our Prime Minister has said, 'This will be a year of generational change in our skills and vocational education sector.' As we emerge from COVID-19, the Morrison government will invest almost $7 billion—$7 billion—to keep apprentices and trainees on the job. Not only that but it will also actually create opportunities for 100,000 new apprentices and trainees to come on into the system to help our fellow Australians who are in need of upskilling or reskilling so that they can move back into the labour market.

The Morrison government is creating and transforming vocational education and training in Australia. Of course, critical to this is the work that we are doing through the national cabinet for our new skills funding agreement to not only provide more transparency but also to better link the funding that the Australian taxpayer ultimately provides to actual skills needs across Australia. This new funding agreement will build on the work that we have already done as a government in relation to ensuring we have a strong skills system. Of course, the first thing we had to do when we were elected to office was clean up the mess created by those opposite in relation to Labor's VET FEE-HELP system.

The problem with Labor is their policies linger. I have to inform the Senate that, to date, in relation to Labor's disastrous VET FEE-HELP system, the taxpayer has spent over $2 billion recrediting the victims of this disastrous policy. So the Morrison government cleaned up Labor's mess, and we are ensuring we are putting skills and training at the forefront of the economic recovery.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brockman, a supplementary question?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I certainly do have a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate how the JobTrainer Fund is demonstrating the capability of the Commonwealth and states to partner and provide world-class training opportunities to Australians?

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

Our record investment as a government, the almost $7 billion that we are investing in skills and training across Australia, includes our $1 billion JobTrainer Fund. This is a partnership with the states and territories across Australia to provide free or low-cost training in areas of skills demand. JobTrainer is based on labour market modelling from the National Skills Commission and is providing over 300,000 training places in areas of skills demand across the economy. Senator Brockman, in our home state of Western Australia we now have over 16,000 training places available—that is, free or low-cost training places available in area of demand. That includes courses like cybersecurity, horticulture and disability support. Again, the $1 billion JobTrainer Fund is helping Australians to upskill or reskill and ensure they are equipped to get a job. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brockman, a final supplementary question?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister outline to the Senate how the government's use of employer incentives has kept apprentices and trainees on the job through the COVID-19 pandemic and will support a new generation of Australians to reskill and get high-quality jobs?

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

From the outset of COVID-19 the government understood that one of our first economic priorities had to be to put in place the policy so that our employers could keep their apprentices and trainees on the job, where we needed them the most. We have done that through our Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy, which will continue until March this year. In fact, as at 11 February, the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees measure has now assisted over 62,600 businesses. As the minister for small and family business, I'm pleased to say that that includes 98 per cent of those small businesses and it has helped them retain almost 120,000 apprentices and trainees. That is 120,000 apprentices and trainees who have been kept on the job because of the economic response the Morrison government put in place. We also have our $1.2 billion Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy, which aims to create 100,000 new apprenticeships. (Time expired)