Charlotte Walker (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Skills and Training, Senator Watt. When the Albanese government took office, Australia was facing the worst skills shortage in more than half a century. This was having a massive impact on our national priorities of building more homes and more renewable energy projects. A key focus since then has been on increasing apprentice numbers so our country can meet the challenges of the future. How many Australians have signed up for an apprenticeship under the Key Apprenticeship Program? Are there any risks to this program?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to Senator Walker, who has already demonstrated what a strong force for young Australians she has been as senator for South Australia. After a decade of neglect from the Liberals, Australia had the second-worst skills shortage in all advanced economies. Since coming to office, the Albanese Labor government hasn't wasted a day in helping Australians to get the skills they want for the jobs we need to fill. That's why we introduced the Key Apprenticeship Program, which pays $10,000 in incentives to new apprentices in the housing and clean energy sectors. Nearly 30,000 Australians have signed up for apprenticeships under the program, and these are the chippies, plumbers, brickies and sparkies we need to build Australian homes and deliver the clean-energy transition.

What we learned over the weekend is that this key program, which is helping provide the tradies needed to build the homes our country needs, is one the coalition want to cut. In her first contribution as the new shadow minister for skills and training, Senator Nampijinpa Price told Josh Martin from Channel 7 that the opposition would scrap this vital scheme. They want to scrap the program that is training Australians to become tradies. It seems—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Nampijinpa Price?

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (NT, Country Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order. The minister is misleading the Senate. It is simply untrue. He's lying once more.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, that isn't a point of order. Senator Wong?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could the Shadow Minister withdraw what she just said at the conclusion of her point of order? You can't say that.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry. Because of all the interjections, I did not hear, but I will ask the senator. Senator Nampijinpa Price—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Senators, stop arguing back and forth across the chamber. Thank you. You have asked for a withdrawal, and I will ask the senator. Senator Nampijinpa Price, there was a lot of noise on my right, and I didn't hear, but I'm sure that, if there were something that you said that was unparliamentary, you would withdraw. The Clerk has advised me that you should withdraw.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (NT, Country Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It does seem that Senator Nampijinpa Price is another of the coalition members who haven't yet read the Liberal Party's secret review, which I tabled here on Tuesday. Recommendation 6 of the secret review states:

The Federal Parliamentary Party, which has the privilege of determining the Party's federal policies, must in future and especially in opposition … consult with the Party Organisation on the formulation of policy, and … do so in a timely manner.

It is clear that there was a significant breakdown in the required consultation process, to the detriment of the 2025 campaign. The Parliamentary leader needs to account for the development of sound policy to the Party.

So the question is: did the opposition leader know about this new coalition policy to scrap this key program, or was this more freelancing from Senator Nampijinpa Price, just like her support for making Australia great again in the election campaign that went so well?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walker, first supplementary?

Charlotte Walker (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While there is no doubt that signing Australian tradies up to apprenticeships is important, it is also critical to support them to finish their trades as well.

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walker, I'm sorry—

Honourable senators interjecting—

I've got a senator on her feet, halfway through asking a question. I can't hear the question, because of the interjections. Senator Walker, would you begin the question again, please.

Charlotte Walker (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While there is no doubt that signing Australian tradies up to apprenticeships is important, it is also critical to support them to finish their trades as well. What evidence is there that the program is working?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Walker. We've already heard from Australian tradies who love this program—providing the tools they need to succeed early on in their careers. The clean energy stream has a retention rate of 85 per cent after the first year, which is above average for comparable periods.

Now, we've seen Senator Nampijinpa Price, as the new shadow minister, make her position clear on this program. She seems to see it as wasteful spending. We know the Liberals' secret election review found that young people and multicultural Australians had deserted the party at the last election. I'll give you some free advice: scrapping a program designed to help young people into apprenticeships to boost housing supply is probably not the way to win over young voters, and promoting someone like Senator Nampijinpa Price is an interesting message to send to all those Indian Australians after her offensive remarks about them only a few months ago. The Liberals never learn, and that's why Australians are leaving them in droves.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walker, second supplementary?

Charlotte Walker (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What else is the Albanese Labor government doing to help Australians get the skills they want for the jobs our nation needs?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor is proudly the party of free TAFE, because we believe that investing in the future generations of workers in this country is a worthwhile endeavour. Whether it's free TAFE or our Key Apprenticeship Program, the Albanese government is delivering. The fact that Senator Nampijinpa Price, as the new shadow minister, wants to scrap this scheme because, in her words, 'spending money increases inflation' really shows the lack of depth on the frontbench of the coalition.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order—Minister Watt knows this to be untrue. It's impugning—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No—

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the reputation of another senator. It's completely untrue.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Henderson, resume your seat. This is twice today the opposition has immediately sprung into a debating point.

No, it's not a point of order.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I've already observed this week, I cannot tell you how happy we are about this new frontbench that has emerged under Mr Taylor, and that's because every person the Liberals' secret review found to have failed has now been promoted. The bloke who opposed tax cuts and dreamed up free lunches for bosses—he's now the Leader of the Liberal Party; the woman who wanted to ban 'work from home' is now his deputy, but she doesn't really get much of a chance to ask a question as the deputy; and the woman who wanted to make Australia great again is already announcing cuts to crucial apprenticeship programs.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On direct relevance, there is no way that this can be argued—that this is directly relevant to the question. It's an absolute outrage!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Henderson, the minister is being relevant to the question. Minister, you have eight seconds left.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So every loser who let them lose has been promoted, and again it makes you feel for the people who understood what the secret review said and have now been demoted.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On that note, I ask that further questions be placed on the NoticePaper.