❓ The Minister outlines the Cook Labor government's investments in training and subsidies to increase the construction workforce and address housing shortages, while criticising the opposition's past record and perceived lack of support for TAFE and trades.
AnsweredQoN 223Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Housing—Construction workforce
223. Mr Kevin Michel to
the Minister for Skills and TAFE:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring every Western Australian has a home. Can
the minister outline how the Cook Labor government is investing in the
workforce we need to build more Western Australian homes?
223. Mr Kevin Michel to
the Minister for Skills and TAFE:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring every Western Australian has a home. Can
the minister outline how the Cook Labor government is investing in the
workforce we need to build more Western Australian homes?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for Pilbara. Everyone on this side of the chamber knows that we cannot build
more homes without skilled trades to build those homes. We cannot build them
without bricklayers, cabinet-makers, carpenters, electricians, painters,
plasterers, plumbers and tilers. The funding in this budget will continue the
funding for free TAFE courses, particularly targeting those areas of the
economy where we have a tight skills market. We also added another seven
construction courses to the free and low-fee TAFE list. That started in January
this year.
On top of free TAFE,
we added an additional $19.6 million for the group training organisation
(GTO) wage subsidy program. That expands the existing program to add another
330 places for employers to take on apprentices. The GTO program particularly
supports small and medium-sized enterprises and in the construction sector that
is subbies. Subbies in and of their own cannot take on an apprentice, but this
program with GTOs supports them to do that. We are supporting more small
businesses to employ apprentices and trainees in the sector. It will bring the
number of places to about 1,300.
There is another $11 million
in the budget to extend the construction visa subsidy program and the Build a
Life in WA program. That was a great initiative that came from industry, from
working closely with the residential building sector, to bring in the skills
that we need as well as training our own. That program alone has brought in
2,700 workers. It is incredibly successful. This investment of $11 million
will extend that to 5,300 workers in exactly the area of the economy and the
community that we need: building houses for Western Australians to live in. It
is backed by our investment into free TAFE, maintaining that strong pipeline of
trades for the sector, seven additional housing and construction courses, more
plumbers, wall-and-ceiling liners, bricklayers and plasterers.
We know that under
Labor, TAFE is affordable and accessible. In the last six years, construction
training apprentices have increased by 86%. As the Treasurer outlined: that is
government spending. That is government spending that the opposition wants to
cut. That is the kind of targeted spending that this government is doing to
support people to have skills and trade, and to support houses for people to
live in. That is the kind of spending that the opposition wants to cut.
We currently have
the highest completion rate for trades and we know that more skilled tradies
means more homes for Western Australians. Compare that with the Liberal Party,
which has no training or TAFE policy. It went to the last election with no
training policy whatsoever. It had no plan for the construction workforce and that
has not changed. It has not changed. When the opposition was in government it
put up TAFE fees by 510%.
This is a comment
from a Liberal Party member in the other house and it tells us everything we need
to know about what it thinks about tradespeople. This is a comment from Hon Simon
Ehrenfeld MLC in June last year:
We hear the government go on and on
about free TAFE, and people decide, "I'm saving $1,200 on a course; I'll
just forget about my career path and become a bricklayer"…
That is what the
opposition thinks of tradespeople.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Who said that?
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: Hon Simon Ehrenfeld.
That is what the
opposition thinks about tradies, about subbies and about apprentices in Western
Australia.
Ms Rita Saffioti: He caught a train!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: Oh, he found the trains too with
the Leader of the Opposition!
They are on the
record. The opposition has never valued TAFE and it certainly does not value
those trades. A bricklayer earns a lot of money in Western Australia. It is a
high-value, highly paid, highly regarded and highly sought-after skill. It is a
highly sought-after skill. It goes to show how out of touch the opposition is.
We will continue government spending to support young
people to have career paths and build houses for Western Australians to
live in.
for Pilbara. Everyone on this side of the chamber knows that we cannot build
more homes without skilled trades to build those homes. We cannot build them
without bricklayers, cabinet-makers, carpenters, electricians, painters,
plasterers, plumbers and tilers. The funding in this budget will continue the
funding for free TAFE courses, particularly targeting those areas of the
economy where we have a tight skills market. We also added another seven
construction courses to the free and low-fee TAFE list. That started in January
this year.
On top of free TAFE,
we added an additional $19.6 million for the group training organisation
(GTO) wage subsidy program. That expands the existing program to add another
330 places for employers to take on apprentices. The GTO program particularly
supports small and medium-sized enterprises and in the construction sector that
is subbies. Subbies in and of their own cannot take on an apprentice, but this
program with GTOs supports them to do that. We are supporting more small
businesses to employ apprentices and trainees in the sector. It will bring the
number of places to about 1,300.
There is another $11 million
in the budget to extend the construction visa subsidy program and the Build a
Life in WA program. That was a great initiative that came from industry, from
working closely with the residential building sector, to bring in the skills
that we need as well as training our own. That program alone has brought in
2,700 workers. It is incredibly successful. This investment of $11 million
will extend that to 5,300 workers in exactly the area of the economy and the
community that we need: building houses for Western Australians to live in. It
is backed by our investment into free TAFE, maintaining that strong pipeline of
trades for the sector, seven additional housing and construction courses, more
plumbers, wall-and-ceiling liners, bricklayers and plasterers.
We know that under
Labor, TAFE is affordable and accessible. In the last six years, construction
training apprentices have increased by 86%. As the Treasurer outlined: that is
government spending. That is government spending that the opposition wants to
cut. That is the kind of targeted spending that this government is doing to
support people to have skills and trade, and to support houses for people to
live in. That is the kind of spending that the opposition wants to cut.
We currently have
the highest completion rate for trades and we know that more skilled tradies
means more homes for Western Australians. Compare that with the Liberal Party,
which has no training or TAFE policy. It went to the last election with no
training policy whatsoever. It had no plan for the construction workforce and that
has not changed. It has not changed. When the opposition was in government it
put up TAFE fees by 510%.
This is a comment
from a Liberal Party member in the other house and it tells us everything we need
to know about what it thinks about tradespeople. This is a comment from Hon Simon
Ehrenfeld MLC in June last year:
We hear the government go on and on
about free TAFE, and people decide, "I'm saving $1,200 on a course; I'll
just forget about my career path and become a bricklayer"…
That is what the
opposition thinks of tradespeople.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Who said that?
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: Hon Simon Ehrenfeld.
That is what the
opposition thinks about tradies, about subbies and about apprentices in Western
Australia.
Ms Rita Saffioti: He caught a train!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: Oh, he found the trains too with
the Leader of the Opposition!
They are on the
record. The opposition has never valued TAFE and it certainly does not value
those trades. A bricklayer earns a lot of money in Western Australia. It is a
high-value, highly paid, highly regarded and highly sought-after skill. It is a
highly sought-after skill. It goes to show how out of touch the opposition is.
We will continue government spending to support young
people to have career paths and build houses for Western Australians to
live in.
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