Doorstop interview - Hobart, Tasmania

ANDREW GILES, MINISTER FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING: It's really great to be back in Hobart for a few reasons. Firstly, we're celebrating Jobs and Skills Month, where I've just learned there are 79 events happening around the country, creating new pathways for Australians right around the nation to enter into rewarding careers through skills and vocational education and training, or otherwise.

Secondly, we're here out the front of the Jobs and Skills Annual Roadshow here in Hobart, and it's fantastic to see the room is so full. As we build a conversation that recognises that the government, through Jobs and Skills Australia, has got great data which tells us so much about what's going on in the labour market, but we need to make sure that it’s connected to the lived reality of people right around the country. It's fantastic to see so many Tasmanians come in to interrogate that data and to share their experiences with Jobs and Skills Australia and government.

And thirdly, I'm really pleased to see that our Key Apprenticeship Program is having a huge impact here in Tasmania. This $10,000 incentive to get apprentices on the tools, whether it's in clean energy or building homes for Tasmanians, has now seen nearly 1400 sign-ups in just over a year. 1400 sign-ups- well, 1390 to be precise. People getting on the tools, building a real career and getting support not just to start, but importantly to finish, because we know when it comes to housing, for example, that every qualified tradesperson will build around 2.2 homes. 

It’s been fantastic going around this state and the country to speak to apprentices and their employers too about what this support means, the confidence they have to embark on a career knowing the government will back them. For the apprentices, those five $2000 payments staged over the life of the apprenticeship, so that they know that when payments come up, whether it's for tools or some other expense, we’ll back them in. We won’t allow cost of living pressures to stop someone completing their trade and going on to build their future while literally building Australia and Tasmania’s future too.

I'm thrilled to be back here as well, to reflect on the success that the Albanese Government’s agenda of skills and training has delivered in this beautiful state. More than 11,000 Free TAFE enrolments as well, recognising we've got a really big job to do to make sure that everyone in every corner of this state and country can build their skills to get a good job and a good career that should be in their communities. Are there any questions?

JOURNALIST: Just on the fee-free TAFE, which of course is one of the key federal government policies which has been run in tandem with state governments in terms of funding, there’s an article in the Daily Telegraph this morning showing that enrolments are down and that completion rates are also down when it comes to courses that are being delivered by this program. It's costing around $10 billion annually between the state and federal governments, if I'm not mistaken. Are we getting bang for buck there?

GILES: Well, that's a long way off the annual cost of the program for a start. We are getting bang for buck. If you look at the article that you’re referring to, what it does show is that so many Australians are jumping at the opportunity to get skills through Free TAFE, and one of the really important things about the Free TAFE program is that it’s targeted at those skills which lead directly to jobs that are in demand, whether it’s in construction, in tech, in the care economy, or in healthcare. What we are seeing is around the country, around 850,000 enrolments. We’ve already seen more than 275,000 completions. These are people who are not only getting into the workforce or getting back into the workforce, they're making a contribution to areas which makes a real difference to the lives of other Australians. I definitely think it's value for money. The Tasmanians I speak to who have enrolled in Free TAFE, the numbers here are very strong in completions too. They tell me time and time again that it’s opened up opportunities that would’ve otherwise been closed.

JOURNALIST: Just on the figure, then. So, if the federal and state spend combined - $10 billion annually isn’t correct when it comes to the vocational sector, do you know what that figure actually is?

GILES: That might be the entire vocational sector, rather than Free TAFE, the figure that you’re talking about, because that’s a long way ahead of what we’re talking about. The initial spend of Free TAFE was $1.5 billion. I don’t know what that number refers to, but it may be the entire spend of state and federal governments on vocational education.

JOURNALIST: Surely a drop in enrolments and a lack of completion should be of some concern?

GILES: Well, what we're seeing is investments in targeted completions, and I think about Tasmania in particular, where we’ve worked with the state government to look at additional supports for learners around foundational skills, which are often a barrier. I spoke in the room earlier about investments we’ve made to the Tasmanian Government, for example, around new accommodation in Burnie, recognising many apprentices in Tasmania have to travel for extended periods of time [indistinct]. What we’re doing is making sure we’re doing absolutely everything to support people, not only to get into the course, but to be supported to finish it. I think when the data that's referred to here comes in, about two years of it is covered by the initiatives that we have supported in government, which goes to some of these critical questions. Much of the data here obviously predates Free TAFE in terms of when people have enrolled. It is uneven in states and territories too.

I'd also say this. There’s a comment in the article you referred to from someone at RMIT - a university with a skills sector, it does TAFE as well - which recognises that for some people, the outcome of enrolment is a new job, not necessarily completion of the course. You see that in the data Jobs and Skills Australia has provided to us. Completing a qualification leaves a really big impact, but also partial completion delivers a really significant acknowledgement [indistinct]..

JOURNALIST: How hands-on do you get when it comes to what states are doing in the school sector? We've got TAFE here in Tasmania looking for tens of millions of dollars in savings. How closely do you work with what the states are doing?

GILES: We work really closely through, particularly the National Skills Agreement, which is an agreement between all Australian governments. I respect, obviously, the Tasmanian government and all state governments, and the people who run their tax systems. But what we're doing from a national point of view is to identify shared priorities and ways in which we can work together, whether it’s founding our Centres of Excellence in TAFE in one jurisdiction and enabling other jurisdictions to benefit from it, particularly useful in smaller jurisdictions. It’s also about making sure that we focus on some areas of national priority, whether it's the care sector or construction, for example, while recognising that individual states will have some individual needs.

We've set out a very clear requirement through the National Skills Agreement, for example, that we need to see around 70 per cent of the investment that we’re putting in going to public provision of service.

JOURNALIST: September job figures show youth unemployment is on the rise. How concerned are you about that?

GILES:  We want to make sure that every Australian has every opportunity to access a good job and everything that comes with that. Obviously we pay careful attention to that sort of data, both nationally and in terms of the regional picture as well. That's one of the reasons why we're looking at programs like the Key Apprenticeship Program, supporting people into the skills that will let them enjoy a really good trade.

That's also why we're doing things like embarking on this regional roadshow, to enable people to understand exactly where there are opportunities. For example, JSA data tells us that there are about 28,000 job vacancies in Tasmania right now. How can we better connect people to opportunities, and particularly to those opportunities where there’s a training requirement to entering that job, because that’s the case for so many jobs out there now.

JOURNALIST: How concerned are you about AI potentially taking some of those job opportunities from young people, particularly graduates?

GILES: Yeah, that's a really important question. JSA in particular have done some good work on this, looking at the likely impact of AI on jobs in Australia. I think it is important to note that largely what we're seeing is AI augmenting jobs, so changing the way in which a job is done, rather than completely automating a job. What it does mean though is that we've got to really focus on our skills system to make sure that workers are equipped to manage this transition on their terms, and also to ensure that we capture the productivity benefits that are available through the adoption of AI in a way that works for Australians. I'm focused on making sure that we can take a really clear-eyed look at what is happening in the labour market, and that we can enable workers and businesses to adapt to that and make sure that everyone has the skills that they need to navigate this change with confidence.

JOURNALIST: We've seen a pretty seismic shift politically in the US in the last 48 hours. Normally, US midterms probably don't capture the attention of Australians very much, but I think you'd agree that this lot has, probably because of the economic ramifications potentially. What lessons can we learn, and what lessons can Australian political leaders learn?

GILES: I think there's maybe three quick points to make on that. Firstly, I boarded a plane yesterday and I was absolutely amazed that everyone was talking about what was going to happen in the midterms. Before we took off, and everyone was turning on their phones when we landed. So definitely, I agree with your point there. Secondly, of course, elections in the United States are a matter for the people of the United States and all their jurisdictions. I do think we do need to reflect on what the message there is, and obviously concerns about fuel prices seem to loom very large for example. But I'll let others be commentators on that, and I'll focus on delivering for Australians.

JOURNALIST: We saw some progressive Democrats have success by being quite politically brave, really taking up some of their Republican opponents. Is there a lesson in that for Australian Labor in the way that you deal with particularly One Nation?

GILES: I'm always wary about overlearning results from other jurisdictions. I'm focused on, and I think I can say this of all of my colleagues, obviously we pay close attention to election results around the world. One, obviously, what happens in America is very consequential for all of us. Secondly, obviously, you look at where there are similarities and where there might be differences. But I think our focus has got to be on making sure that we’re listening attentively to the Australian people, and our focus has got to be on them, the pressures that they are facing today in terms of cost of living, which is front of everyone's mind, but also making sure that dealing with those immediate pressures does not take us away from our focus on building a fairer future.

JOURNALIST: And the Business Council of Australia says almost 70 per cent of inflation is homegrown. Does this show that it's the government’s responsibility to fix it?

GILES: Look, I'm not familiar with that report. I don't know how recently it’s come out. I think what we would say and what the Treasurer and all members of the government are saying is that we have been really focused on responsible financial management. I think you see that every budget and every budget update, we’re looking to savings, looking to make sure we're getting the balance right between providing immediate support while being very mindful of inflationary pressures. And of course, as the US election did show, that’s something that people are conscious of, not just in Australia, but right around the world.

JOURNALIST: How much is federal government spending driving inflation?

GILES: Look, I think if you look at what we have been doing as a federal government, we've been really focused on making sure that on every opportunity we’ve had, we’ve been backing savings. So we've been very focused on providing support, and support in ways that are not inflationary.

JOURNALIST: Do you understand why some Australians feel a bit baffled by interest rates being sort of the only seeming answer to inflation in Australia at the moment, and why that doesn't quite add up for some people?

GILES: Well, I think Australians around the country are feeling really significant cost of living pressures. I think there's quite a few people, for example the workers at David Jones are feeling very immediate pressures right now. Of course, we understand that. Of course, we've got to listen to people, think about getting that balance right between providing relief to people to get them through the day-to-day challenges that they are facing, while making sure that we're getting on with building an economy that’s growing, boosting productivity and creating a fairer future for everyone.

JOURNALIST: Just back on youth unemployment, given young people are already struggling to get into the housing market and are doing it tough, how concerned are you that they might now be struggling for a job?

GILES: Well, we've really got to make sure that we are offering young people hope, and we do that through opening up fairer pathways to them to get into the labour market. Think about again Free TAFE, which has been an absolute runaway success, not only for young people but particularly for young people, breaking down a barrier that enables them to connect their opportunities, their sense of their potential, to something that is out there in the labour market.

Of course we’ve got to listen to the voices of young people. We've got to recognise that some of the challenges they are facing, whether it's in the world of work or in the world of housing, where again we've made some really significant changes, like the 5 per cent deposit scheme, to recognise that some of the challenges that people face are generational.

JOURNALIST: On the news innovation fund, Pauline Hanson says Labor's $31.5 million media grant stinks and it is political favouritism, you’re rewarding outlets that won't criticise the government. What do you make of that?

GILES: We are concerned to ensure that Australians can continue to access fair and free media. I think anyone who looks fairly at the front pages of the papers today, or radio, would not find the sentiments that Senator Hanson's expressed echoed in those media outlets' approach to, frankly and fairly I would hope mostly, criticising the government. We know that access to quality information, high quality news, is absolutely fundamental to the functioning of our democracy. Building trust in politics, to enabling politicians to be appropriately placed under scrutiny, and for proper public debate to play out. It’s something that should be important to every Australian.

ENDS