Doorstop Interview, Launceston

JESS TEESDALE, MEMBER FOR BASS: Thank you so much for being here today at one of the sites for our social and affordable housing. Now, it was only 12 months ago where I was here with Minister Clare O’Neil, and we actually turned the sod here. And we can see behind us how many of these 49 homes that are getting up and out of the ground. It's a really quick process, and it's really exciting because not only will these homes be for people who need it the most, but we also have 10 to 15 apprentices on this site at any one time. Now, we're really excited to have the Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, here with us today to help celebrate the Key Apprenticeship Program. Thank you so much, Minister.

ANDREW GILES, MINISTER FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING: Thanks very much, Jess. And it's great to be back here in Launceston and with you and to reflect on what an enormous contribution you're already making, not only as a fantastic and attentive local member, but to see the work that you do on behalf of this community in Canberra is something that I'm really excited about.

I'm also excited about standing here for two reasons. One, where we are here, St Joseph Affordable Homes project shows the significance of our very ambitious housing agenda. 49 homes here already with construction well underway, half and half social and affordable, making a real difference, putting more roofs over the heads of more Tasmanians. And of course, that's only possible if we have a skilled workforce, and today, I'm here to celebrate the success so far of the Albanese Government’s Key Apprenticeship Program – $10,000 to encourage an apprentice to start their trade in the building and clean energy sectors and importantly to help people finish the trade. We recognise the cost of living pressures are really biting Tasmanians, and particularly an apprentice who's generally on a lesser wage. So this payment structured at five $2,000 lots is really helping someone not just to start a really, really good trade but to make sure they get all the support they need to get to the end.

It's been great talking to Robbie who's been engaging, I think you said, 27 apprentices. It's a business here that's made a real difference not only to the buildings we see around here and around town but to the lives of so many young Tasmanians. Opening the door to them to pick up the tools and become a tradie in the electrical trade [inaudible] and build a great life for themselves and their family in a really critical trade. It’s great to see how nearly 300 Tasmanians have already benefitted from the Key Apprenticeship Housing Program building on others from the earlier clean energy program. Those figures are outdated because the first year apprentices we’re meeting today will only be counted in the upcoming data. We're seeing a really big take up. More electricians, more plumbers, more carpenters employed, more glazers, more Tasmanians getting the skills they want to do the jobs they need, particularly for the building houses. So, it's fantastic to be with you, Jess, and to be hearing from apprentices and the employers that are taking them on and see what a difference our Government's programs are making.

I just want to touch on one other thing very briefly. I'm aware of some media reports today about some treatment of electrical apprentices, and I want to say very clearly that this sort of treatment is absolutely unacceptable. Every worker deserves to be treated with dignity in their workplace, particularly someone who’s particularly vulnerable to being an apprentice undergoing that training. Every job should be open to every person in the Australian community. We know, as a Government, we've got to do more to make sure that every job is open to Tasmanian women. We've invested $60 million in the Building Women's Careers project, with five projects focused on Tasmania to make sure we're breaking down all those cultural barriers and those other barriers that have held back too many women from either taking on the job they want to do or being safe and respectful doing that job. I want to say how concerned I am by these media reports, but these are matters that the Government is acting on and we continue to act on. So with that, are there any questions?

JOURNALIST: What kind of feedback have you heard from new apprentices signing up for this program?

GILES: It's been really gratifying to hear people talk about the difference it's made here in Tassie but right around the country. People are thinking about the sort of jobs they want to do, the sort of career they want to embark on, but they're also very conscious about cost of living pressures. Things like Free TAFE are opening up doors and so too this incentive program. It says that we're on your side. It's backing young Tasmanians, and indeed not so young Tasmanians, to get these really critical skills.

JOURNALIST: Are employers also quite receptive to the scheme?

GILES: Well, they have been because again, the $5,000 that we're paying to employers as well is an incentive for them to invest in training, to invest in building our own workforce here in Tassie and right around the country. People want to have a good – for employers, they want to have a good choice of apprentices, and this is creating real demand and real interest, particularly in trades like electrical because so many young Tasmanians can see potential that's out there. Encouraging employers to invest in training on their own rather than simply hiring people that are already qualified is something that we are really passionate about as a government. It's great to meet an employer like Robbie who really puts the money where his mouth is.

JOURNALIST: While the Key Apprenticeship Program might be successful for those in some industries like housing, you’ve halved support payments for other apprentices despite there being a skilled labour shortage. Why have you done that?

GILES: We've done that to focus really on the most significant national priorities, and I don't think there's too many people around here who would argue that building more homes for Australians isn't an absolutely national priority. When we look at the incentives that we pay, we're conscious of two things. One, obviously being responsible with the budget settings, particularly having regard to the challenge of managing inflation at the moment. Two, making sure that we really are driving the best possible outcome for the Australian taxpayer and for individual Australians. It's in doing that and looking at where our incentives can have the greatest impact [indistinct].

JOURNALIST: Is that short sighted though because aren't other industries at risk at having those [indistinct] shortages [indistinct]?

GILES: Look, we know that there are still shortages across the economy. When we came into office, Australia had the worst skills crisis in 50 years. So there are issues in different [indistinct] areas. This is just one mechanism [indistinct]. For example, in a lot of the areas where skills are in shortage, an apprenticeship isn't the only or principal pathway to get those skills. That's where Free TAFE takes a really big role –

JOURNALIST: Sorry, can you just go back?

GILES: What we are determined to do when we respond to the skills crisis is not to come up with one approach only. In the housing industry, for example, almost all those trades, you get your qualification through an apprenticeship pathway. That's why this incentive is so important here. It's also the case that the employers tend to be smaller sizes. So, the significance of the incentive, as our Strategic Review found, is much more impactful in this area than, for example, in manufacturing, where incentives still exist but at a slightly lesser rate.

In other areas, for example in the care sector, we're looking to Free TAFE to break down those doors to enable more Australians to access those skills. It's not about one approach. It's about a series of interventions targeting industries based on evidence and making sure of course that we're being fiscally responsible, as Australians would expect.

JOURNALIST: The data shows that just 16 or six per cent of apprentices under the program in Tasmania are women. Does that concern you at all?

GILES: It's not enough, but it's a really significant uptick. Around about four per cent of trades workers in the industry are currently women. So we're actually seeing a really strong approach from young women in Tasmania, like Lily, who I was just chatting with. We know we have to do better. That's one of the reasons why I touched on some of these cultural questions, which unfortunately still persist in aspects of the construction industry. That's why we've invested this $60 million in Building Women’s Careers. Not just to say that there is a problem, but to be really attentive to the voices of those women who are in the industry, the ones who succeeded, but those who've given it a try [indistinct] so we can understand how we can collectively do better. Sixteen per cent, a significant increase, but it's not nearly enough.

JOURNALIST: Between June 2024 and June 2025, trade apprenticeships fell by 7.3 per cent, and non-trade apprenticeships fell by 20.2 per cent, according to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Does this show that despite these programs, your Government's still not doing enough?

GILES: No it doesn’t, but I will come back to not doing enough, because there is always more to do in this space. What we know now is that there are 50,000 more trade apprentices in training than under the former government. What we’re seeing with this data is still the overhang of the BAC and CAC programs with wage subsidies that were in place through the pandemic under the former government. These simply were not affordable, and they were not targeted. Our approach is on focusing on skills we need and making a real difference in investiture of significant amounts of public money.

Having said that, again, there’s always more to do. That’s why we are focusing on how we can get more women in trades, how we can get more First Nations Australians in trades, how can we break down some barriers, and as I said, to make sure we’re leaving absolutely no stone unturned. For example, at the election we made a really significant investment in a program called the Advanced Entry Trades Training program. This is about recognising that there are thousands of Australians who may have been working as a trades assistant or a labourer who’ve developed lots of skills without the formal qualifications, to make sure that they can get a quicker pathway having those skills recognised so that they can work at a higher level and make a bigger contribution. There’s always more to do.

JOURNALIST: How beneficial is a program like this for yourself?

ROBBIE GROSE, NEXT PHASE ELECTRICAL: It’s highly beneficial to the apprentices. Obviously, the system and the tools, there’s an interest free loan when they start, the training package that they deliver, offers [indistinct]. Got a lot of downtime for the first year, [indistinct] time to get them up to speed with the apprenticeship.

JOURNALIST: That $5,000 that businesses can claim, is that a very big factor in hiring an apprentice these days?

GROSE: No, it all mostly comes down to the individual themselves, yeah. So it does assist [indistinct] I think [indistinct].

JOURNALIST: How many apprentices would you say you have on at the moment?

GROSE: We’ve got six apprentices at the moment.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, they’re all behind you. And are they across, are they all just building, or what’s happening?

GROSE: No, it’s all domestic, fundamentally all domestic work, kitchens. [Indistinct] commercial.

JOURNALIST: And as someone who is in the industry and is not an apprentice anymore, how is the current situation? Is it dire like people are saying? Or is it not as bad as the media and everyone’s reporting?

GROSE: What was the question, sorry?

JOURNALIST: Is there enough apprentices coming through in Tasmania, or do we need more?

GROSE: We need more [indistinct] skillsets, for sure [indistinct].

JOURNALIST: Have you found this program is going to cause more apprentices to sign up? Are you seeing greater uptake there?

GROSE: Definitely showing more interest with the program, absolutely.

JOURNALIST: Great. Cool, we might speak to Lily. How are things, how you pay your part of the program, do you [indistinct] the $10,000?

LILY ROBINSON, APPRENTICE: No, I’m on an electrical [indistinct], I’ve been here a year.

JOURNALIST: What attracted you to this industry?

ROBINSON: I’ve always loved a trade. I love hands-on work. I just don’t think I’d be able to work in an office, so I just think it’s just working hands-on, like, long days, but it’s just rewarding work.

JOURNALIST: And there’s more opportunity for young women to get into the trades?

ROBINSON: Yeah, most definitely. I think girls are fearful to come and join in because it’s obviously a male dominated area, but I don't worry about that. Like, I just see the boys and everyone [indistinct] like normal. I don't get treated any differently. It's just a good environment to work in.

JOURNALIST: How appealing would it have been for you if you were able to come in on this program and eventually get that money?

ROBINSON: It probably would have been more helpful, I reckon, but it wouldn't have changed my opinion coming in. I think it would have been a good incentive for more young people to come in – like, I definitely think we would have drawn more people in. But I don't think that I needed it to draw me in.

JOURNALIST: What's your favourite part of the job, Lily?

ROBINSON: Probably working with different people, working on all new different sites. Every day is different. Nothing is ever the same. We do these jobs, but we do rough-ins and we do fit off. Like, a day is always different.

JOURNALIST: And can I just confirm, what year apprentice are you?

ROBINSON: I'm a first year apprentice.

JOURNALIST: And how old are you?

ROBINSON: I'm 19.

JOURNALIST: Xander, are you a first year apprentice?

XANDER PRETORIUS, APPRENTICE: I just started last week, last Tuesday.

JOURNALIST: So were you part of this program?

PRETORIUS: Yeah.

JOURNALIST: How beneficial will this money and I guess the opportunities it will bring?

PRETORIUS: I think it's brilliant to give a head start to any apprentice. Ten grand is a good amount of money to kick you off with tools and support you on your journey through.

JOURNALIST: Do you think you would have decided to do an apprenticeship without this program and this money?

PRETORIUS: I didn't actually know about it until I signed up. And then it’s a bonus on top of that, which is brilliant.

JOURNALIST: What are you going to use the money for?

PRETORIUS: More than likely tools by the end of it.

JOURNALIST: What attracted you to the industry?

PRETORIUS: I like, same as Lily said, how practical it is. It's hands-on every day. You're doing different things. Same idea, I don't think I could sit in an office. I like the change in it and there's a lot of growth.

JOURNALIST: Without that $10,000, is it tough for apprentices starting out financially?

PRETORIUS: I think so. I think most apprentices are coming straight out of school and obviously haven't had much time to save some money. So to get that $10,000 behind us would be very beneficial.

ENDS