01-March-2006
Speeches, Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Education and Training
Mr ROBB (Goldstein—Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) (4.16 p.m.)—We have just heard another burst of bluster and scaremongering, and nonsense in many respects, in this matter of public importance. The bottom line is that the introduction of a trade skills training visa is demonstrably good for young Australians. It is not a matter of neglect, as is brazenly asserted by opponents who would much rather play politics in this chamber than do the hard yards on new policy work.
Mr Burke—We have.
Mr ROBB—What new policy? What have we heard today or any other day from this shadow minister for immigration? Absolutely nothing. Let me read a quote from the Australian of 15 April last year:
[I] do not oppose fee-paying overseas students taking up apprenticeships in regional Australia as long as it is not at the expense of local students getting their opportunities.
We absolutely agree with that statement, and the training visa gives effect to it. That statement could have been made by the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations or the Minister for Vocational and Technical Education. All three agree, as all on this side agree, 100 per cent with that proposition. But it was not made by them; it was made by the President of the ACTU, the leader of the union movement, Sharan Burrow. In other words, the unions agree with the government on the proposal of this visa.
So why did we have the charade we witnessed here today? It was a charade we witnessed on Monday evening when this matter was debated then. Why do we have all the feigned anger of the shadow minister, the puffed up indignation, the litany of lies and falsehoods and the predictions of doom and gloom? Does that remind you of something, Mr Deputy Speaker? It is so over the top, so manufactured and so false. I am certain that what we are witnessing from those opposite is a purely political exercise. It is plainly an extension of the campaign of lies and scaremongering we witnessed during the workplace relations debate—month after month of lies and scaremongering. For what reason? I will tell you what the reason is. After a fourth election loss and the leadership meltdown that was Mark Latham, Labor are desperately trying to galvanise their base. If I were them, I would also be doing what I could to breathe some sense of purpose back into a disillusioned base. I understand their motive. I would be looking to do what I could to unite base support around a cause. That is what they have been seeking to do for the last few months—unite their base around a cause to try to give them some heart—but they should be trying to do it around a good and worthwhile cause, not a cause based on lies and scaremongering, not cheap petty politics. I would not base it on lies and scaremongering because, ultimately, it comes back to bite you. All this stuff they have gone on with in the House today, and have done for six months on these issues, when the prophecies prove wrong it will come back to bite them. And proved wrong they will be. If Labor were smart, they would seek to galvanise their base around policies they thought would make Australia a better place.
But it is not happening. It is even starting to worry their own side. We heard the member for Batman belling the cat this morning when he said in the Australian newspaper:
On my own side of the chamber, policy innovation that inspires the people, that puts pressure on the government to perform, and that demonstrates Labor’s capacity to lead the nation in government has also been too rare ... after a decade in opposition, we have plenty of storytellers but not much of a story to tell.
Only 19 Labor members elected in 1996 remain in parliament today and they, together with their more recently elected caucus colleagues, according to the member for Batman, ‘are too focused—by necessity—on internal party dynamics that have a lot to do with factional dominance and little to do with a Labor view of how to make Australia a better place’. Try and spend some time galvanising your base around policies that will make Australia a better place and I think you will start to see a lot more success politically and in every other sense.
All we hear in this debate is a series of falsehoods and misrepresentations. We have heard it again today from the shadow minister. The member for Watson, Mr Burke, has claimed in this place:
I do not think it is any accident that this visa was introduced at the same time that those industrial relations laws came in.
Again, you are trying to link it to industrial relations; trying to link it to a cause around which you have peddled lies and misrepresentations from the outset. This is false and can be shown to be demonstrably false.
Mr Burke—Was it an accident?
Mr ROBB—You said it is no accident—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Barresi)—Order! I remind the member to direct his comments through the chair and to ignore the interjections from the member for Watson.
Mr ROBB—The intention to have such a visa was first announced in April 2005. The workplace relations legislation had not passed the Senate and did not have any prospect of doing so at that time. Consultations on implementation were held with state and territory authorities throughout 2005. State and territory authorities had to be consulted because they are a vital part of the process. This is ignored again and again in everything the member for Watson has to say.
The fact is that the visa has its origins in representations that were made by Golden West group training, and I am proud to acknowledge their involvement. They are a big employer of Australian apprentices and that has to be recognised. At a meeting in Senator Vanstone’s office in December 2003, and in annual consultations with stakeholders conducted by Minister Vanstone since then, many employers mentioned the difficulty of finding apprentices as a major constraint on their businesses. Discussions with stakeholders on the possibility of something like this training visa, including the TAFE and training sector, were held in 2004. This has a long history and it gives the lie to your suggestion that we are playing politics. We are playing policy. We are trying to do something about the future of Australians, not play politics. Mr Burke has his facts wrong and, in my view, should apologise in the House this week.
The government has implemented this visa after long consultations with many stakeholders, including employers and state governments. Labor always forget that you cannot have jobs without employers—I understand that; I have seen it for years—but it surprises me that they do not seem to have been in touch with state and territory governments, all of which are Labor at the moment. If they had had those discussions rather than coming in here playing politics, they would have properly understood the very hard protections in place for young Australians in this visa. The visas are administrated by state governments—people of the same political party as you, who are willing and able to discuss the arrangements in place—and they would have confirmed with you that protections are in place—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER—Order! I remind the parliamentary secretary to address his remarks through the chair.
Mr ROBB—My apologies, Mr Deputy Speaker. The state governments would have confirmed to the shadow minister again and again that there are protections in regard to wages, just as we have seen with skilled workers coming in under the migration scheme—which ministers in Labor governments have been defending all around this country against the false assertions of some of your union bosses. If you had bothered to take the time to speak to your state colleagues, we would not be having this debate and you would not have moved to disallow this regulation.
This government has not let down young Australians. On the contrary, the performance of the Howard government has restored a sense of hope and opportunity to the young people of Australia. Whether young Australians choose to work, study or undertake vocational training, the government has provided demonstrably good outcomes for all of them. Youth unemployment, since we came to office, has dropped nearly 40 per cent at a time when real wages have increased by 15.6 per cent—and the young have shared in that as well. By comparison, the Labor Party record pales into insignificance. In fact, the Labor Party record is embarrassing in comparison to what has happened over the last 10 years for the young people of Australia.
There has been a 122 per cent increase in the number of youth under 19 commencing new apprenticeships since 1996 and they now account for 41 per cent of all apprenticeship starts. The number of school students getting a head start in VET programs has increased by 253 per cent. The government is providing funds to the states and territories to support an initial 167,000 vocational education training places by 2008, including the establishment of 25 Australian technical colleges. The Work for the Dole program has given young people skills. The Backing Australia’s Future program will provide an additional 39,000 university places. I could go on and on. It is clear that this government has not let down young Australians. This government has given great hope and great opportunity to the young people of Australia.
On skills, we do have a challenge. It is estimated that in five years time we will have 200,000 more jobs than we have people to fill them. That is what you should think about. And why is this? There are two main reasons. One reason is that the economy has been going gangbusters for 10 years. We have unemployment at 30-year lows and we have youth unemployment dropping by 40 per cent. That is one of the main reasons we have a skills shortage. We plead guilty to doing that. We plead guilty to prolonged economic growth. But it has put pressure on the availability of skilled workers. When you have close to full employment, that is what happens. It is not something Labor would identify with. You have had no experience with that situation. You do not understand it. You ought to get out there and get a feel for it. This is what happens with economic growth. You get skills shortages when you have near full employment.
The second contributing factor to the skills shortage is the ageing of the population. Its impact is hugely significant and it is pressing. This was acknowledged by the Leader of the Opposition on 3 October last year when he said we are now experiencing massive skills shortages. It is true. We have had a strong economy and we have an ageing population which is coming in on us. Sadly, that is all the Leader of the Opposition has said about it. He offers no solutions. His shadow minister in the House offers no solutions. None of them offers any solutions. All we hear is carping, scaremongering, misrepresentations and lies about our policies in order to galvanise your base, which is disillusioned and which has lost heart.
The member for Batman had it right. He knows what will give your members heart. What will give your members heart is good policy—something that will turn around the skills shortage. And it is not in one area. It requires a multipolicy approach. All of your shadow ministers should be up at this table giving us policies that will address the skills shortage. That is what we are on about. We have introduced reforms on workplace relations, Welfare to Work, superannuation reforms to encourage older Australians back into the workplace, taxation reforms to encourage older Australians to stay longer in the workplace and huge investment in skills training, which I have just been through.
Ms Owens interjecting—
Mr ROBB—You might laugh. You think there is one little silver bullet. Get out there and get an understanding of the regional apprenticeship visa scheme and immigration. It is a multipolicy approach to solve the challenges that we have in front of us as a country. It is not an exercise in cheap politics, so stop these lies and scaremongering. This training visa contributes importantly to young Australians in many ways. Keeping economic growth in the regions going helps them share in the economic growth that the rest of Australia enjoys. That is a really important contribution. Furthermore, bringing in overseas students to take up apprenticeships will give a critical mass to courses in regional TAFE areas for apprenticeships, which will keep courses going so that young Australians can have access.
Mr Burke interjecting—
Mr ROBB—You do not understand what it is like to come from regional areas. The shadow minister does not understand what it takes for kids to come down to the city. We want to keep TAFE courses in regional areas. By bringing in students to keep a critical mass, we will protect those courses and we will provide opportunities for young Australians. (Time expired)
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Barresi)—Order! Before I call the member for Adelaide, I remind the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and all other speakers who have been taking part in this debate to address their remarks through the chair and to refer to members by their correct title or by their seats.