Mr KIELY - 2005-05-05
Is it a fact the skills shortage is one of the most significant issues blocking expansion and growth nationwide? Is it a fact that the government has announced the most extensive training and skilling program ever seen in the Territory? Is it a fact that skilling was totally ignored in the response to Budget 2005 by the Leader of the Opposition?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Sanderson for his question. The answer to the three parts of that question is unequivocally yes, yes and yes.
Yes, it is true that a skills shortage is one of the most significant blockers to both nationwide expansion and in the Northern Territory. Yes, indeed, the answer to the second part of the question, the Labor government has proudly made skilling and training of Territorians an absolute centrepiece in this budget. And, yes, it is true that nowhere in his address in reply to the budget did the Leader of the Opposition mention the words ‘skills’ or ‘training’.
Ms Martin: Not once.
Mr STIRLING: Not once. Not one single cent of commitment towards skilling and training Territorians. The only thing we can read from that is that he will rip up the Jobs Plan. He will abolish the Jobs Plan if he is elected and cut that essential skilling and training for Territorians to pay for his own uncosted, unfunded promises. I waited in silence all of the way through the Leader of the Opposition’s response to the budget for him to drop out exactly where he would go with the Jobs Plan – would he retain it, would he seek to expand it, or what he would do with it.
I waited in expectation that he would say something about it because his shadow spokesperson, the member for Greatorex, told us in the Alice Springs sittings and even before then that his own jobs plan was only weeks away. Now, when were the Alice Springs sittings?
Members interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: It has to be five or six months ago that the member for Greatorex was telling us that he was going to produce the Country Liberal Party’s training program in two to three weeks. Well, it is a while since those statements were made.
Quite clearly, they have no plans and it is the same position they had when the Country Liberal Party were in government. They had no plans for training at all, no strategic direction about funding for training and skilling, and they spent no time on it at all. We had to work quickly. We spent a considerable amount of money building up the resources for skilling and training for the Territory.
We now have 35% more Territorians in training than we had when we were elected in August 2001. As of 19 April this year, there are 3280 apprentices and trainees. There were 2200 on 19 August 2001 when this government was elected. We have increased the new entrants to training by 20% from 2029 in 2001 to about 2500 commencements in 2004. We have young Territorians out there getting the skills and training they need to get a quality position in an expanding work force to help them get ahead and help move the Territory ahead. It is disappointing, to say the least, that there was not one word from the opposition in relation to skills and training.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Sanderson for his question. The answer to the three parts of that question is unequivocally yes, yes and yes.
Yes, it is true that a skills shortage is one of the most significant blockers to both nationwide expansion and in the Northern Territory. Yes, indeed, the answer to the second part of the question, the Labor government has proudly made skilling and training of Territorians an absolute centrepiece in this budget. And, yes, it is true that nowhere in his address in reply to the budget did the Leader of the Opposition mention the words ‘skills’ or ‘training’.
Ms Martin: Not once.
Mr STIRLING: Not once. Not one single cent of commitment towards skilling and training Territorians. The only thing we can read from that is that he will rip up the Jobs Plan. He will abolish the Jobs Plan if he is elected and cut that essential skilling and training for Territorians to pay for his own uncosted, unfunded promises. I waited in silence all of the way through the Leader of the Opposition’s response to the budget for him to drop out exactly where he would go with the Jobs Plan – would he retain it, would he seek to expand it, or what he would do with it.
I waited in expectation that he would say something about it because his shadow spokesperson, the member for Greatorex, told us in the Alice Springs sittings and even before then that his own jobs plan was only weeks away. Now, when were the Alice Springs sittings?
Members interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: It has to be five or six months ago that the member for Greatorex was telling us that he was going to produce the Country Liberal Party’s training program in two to three weeks. Well, it is a while since those statements were made.
Quite clearly, they have no plans and it is the same position they had when the Country Liberal Party were in government. They had no plans for training at all, no strategic direction about funding for training and skilling, and they spent no time on it at all. We had to work quickly. We spent a considerable amount of money building up the resources for skilling and training for the Territory.
We now have 35% more Territorians in training than we had when we were elected in August 2001. As of 19 April this year, there are 3280 apprentices and trainees. There were 2200 on 19 August 2001 when this government was elected. We have increased the new entrants to training by 20% from 2029 in 2001 to about 2500 commencements in 2004. We have young Territorians out there getting the skills and training they need to get a quality position in an expanding work force to help them get ahead and help move the Territory ahead. It is disappointing, to say the least, that there was not one word from the opposition in relation to skills and training.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016