Workforce Shortages
Transcript
Ms WARE (Hughes) (10:57): I rise to speak on the motion brought in relation to the workforce shortages that Australia is currently experiencing under this Albanese Labor government. I am not sure if the member for Solomon—I was in the chamber for most of his speech—is speaking on the same motion as I am because the member for Solomon spoke only about the alleged assistance the Albanese Labor government is giving to TAFE. But the VET sector is a lot broader than just TAFE. I'm not sure if the member for Solomon is aware of this. Certainly, on our side, we are very aware of this.
I want to speak about the chronic workforce shortages that are throughout Australia and, particularly, in my electorate of Hughes. They are in four main areas. The free-TAFE legislation that this government, those on that side, spruik constantly is doing nothing to help there. I also note that the member for Solomon made a lot of comments about skills shortages being around for a decade. The last time I looked those on that side were in government. They've been in government for 2½ years and have done nothing to address the chronic workforce shortages.
Let's start with manufacturing. Following the redistribution, my electorate now includes south-west Sydney which includes a lot of manufacturing, particularly around the Ingleburn and Moorebank areas. I've been out to those factories. The people in those factories have been saying to me that they can't get fitters, they can't get turners and they can't get machinists. They can't get people to actually run their machines. I've heard nobody on that side talk about how they are going to address the chronic skills shortages in the manufacturing industry. Of course, the manufacturing industry actually produces goods that can be used here, and it produces goods that we can sell overseas. But there has been nothing for those people, nothing for the manufacturing industry from this government.
Let me turn to construction. This week on the news we've heard, yet again, that a record number of construction companies have gone bust in the last month under this Albanese Labor government. That's a record for my home state of New South Wales, the most populous state in the country and the state that most needs construction companies—because guess what they do? They build houses.
The other thing that I haven't heard from anyone on that side is a reference to the report from the Master Builders Association which is the subject of this motion. In that report, the Master Builders Association talks about chronic skills shortages throughout the construction industry. We are talking not only about electricians, builders and plumbers; we are talking about roofers—it took me six months to get a roofer—we're talking about tilers and we're talking about bricklayers. These trades are where the chronic workforce shortages are. I know this. I speak to the construction companies in my electorate. About 20 per cent of people in my electorate are employed in the trades. I've said to them, 'In the last 2½ years, what has the Labor government done to address the skills shortages in the construction industry?' They are silent because this government has not done anything to address the chronic skills shortages in the trades in construction.
Let's turn to hospitality. I've got many, many beautiful cafes and restaurants in my electorate of Hughes. Whenever I go into one of them to buy a coffee or have dinner, they all say the same thing: they can't get kitchen hands; they can't get chefs; they can't get baristas; they can't get people to wait on tables. When I say, 'Was it this bad 2½ years ago?' guess what they say? 'No; it has got substantially worse under this Albanese Labor government.' The government does not care about those who work in hospitality and does not care about those who own small businesses in hospitality.
So when I stand here and hear those on that side talking about fee-free TAFE, I know that is only one little part of the equation. They may have brought in fee-free TAFE legislation; what they haven't done is address the chronic workforce shortages in all of the trades that have continued and been exacerbated under this government.