Labor has no credibility on jobs

Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Education and Training

Labor are desperately trying to play catch up on TasTAFE having previously promised only 70% of training funds to the public training provider well behind the 80% being delivered by the Tasmanian Liberal Government.

Not only are we investing around $100 million in skills each year, this year’s budget includes an additional $53 million to boost jobs for apprentices, trainees and youth employees when you include the Australian Government’s matching funding for JobTrainer.

Labor continue to try and push fee-free Tafe without acknowledging that JobTrainer will actually deliver more than double the training investment they have committed to over the next 12 months.

Not only will JobTrainer provide no cost training in areas of industry demand, it will be delivered by both public and private training providers meaning we can maximise the number of placements and qualifications. Now is not the time to limit placements by excluding private RTOs, which is what Labor have indicated they would do.

The Tasmanian Government’s budget commitment already includes funding to hire more specialist teachers in priority industries. And unlike Labor we are delivering a record investment in infrastructure with over $38 million in upgrades to facilities, which includes a brand new Energy, Trades and Water Centre of Excellence at the Clarence campus.

Last time Labor got their hands on TasTAFE they dismantled it, then glued it back together before leaving it with a $2.5 million debt.

It has taken a Liberal Government to rebuild TasTAFE to the point we now have the best completion rates for apprentices and trainees in the country.

Without an alternative budget any ‘plan’ Labor unveils is not worth the paper it is written on.

This week’s State Budget, which includes a $5 billion infrastructure program and will support around 25,000 jobs has been endorsed by Industry leaders and Peak Bodies including:

Stuart Collins, HIA’s Tasmanian Executive Director said “While all industries will benefit from the JobTrainer Fund, its announcement is particularly timely and important for the residential construction industry. Residential construction has been instrumental in leading the economic recovery but this has created the need for more jobs and training.”

“School leavers, young people and job seekers now have an incentive to gain the necessary skills to enter our industry as it gears up for current and future demand.”

“HIA congratulates the government on ensuring private training providers can deliver quality training outcomes which meet the objectives of the program”

Master Plumbers Tasmania (Angela Bennett, CEO) welcomed the Governments’ Job Trainer Fund initiative which will have direct benefits for the building and construction industries and those Tasmania’s keen to make a career in building and construction.

“It means that up to 7000 Tasmanians have a chance to kick start their career. The Job Trainer Initiative will give our economy a welcome boost and provide significant job opportunities to Tasmanians post COVID-19.”

“The Tasmanian Building and Construction Industry Training Board (Karin Mathison, CEO) supports the government’s proactive approach to creating training opportunities for school leavers, young people and job seekers.”

“At this crucial time of economic recovery, the Tasmanian building and construction industry needs real support for training and workforce development. JobTrainer will be a strong foundation for the industry’s activity in coming years.”

“The Tasmanian Building and Construction Industry Training Board welcomes the government’s commitment to increasing the capacity of TasTAFE and other providers to deliver successful training outcomes. This is a much-needed investment in the future of Tasmania’s workforce.”

After six and a half years in Opposition, Labor still haven’t delivered an Alternative Budget, proving they have no long-term plan for Tasmania.

/Public Release. View in full here.