THE HON SUSSAN LEY MP
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY, SKILLS AND TRAINING
SHADOW MINISTER FOR SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMEN
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR FARRER
Andrew Giles remains in hiding a fortnight after being appointed as Minister for Skills and Training – a role the Prime Minister has removed from the Cabinet.
Minister Giles is still yet to front the media, issue a press release or provide any information about how he will take the skills portfolio forward. He has however found time to celebrate International Cat Day.
Compare Minister Giles with Minister for Employment, Murray Watt and Minister for Housing, Clare O’Neil.
Despite failing to take strong action against the CFMEU at least Minister Watt has taken a few questions.
Minister O’Neil has also taken questions since her appointment. She has however failed to upload any of her official transcripts or records to her official Department of Social Services website. The Minister's Treasury website also reflects this failure as well. This is not the first time Clare O’Neil has run into issues uploading her official records. While we do not have official records from Minister O’Neil, we know that Andrew Giles remains in hiding from media scrutiny.
It is time for Andrew Giles to front up. When he does, we call on him to confirm exactly how many of Labor’s 500,000 Fee Free TAFE courses have resulted in no qualification being completed.
Estimates of TAFE completions indicate the failure or non-completion rate could be as high as 55-60 per cent across these courses and some in the training sector have indicated some courses could have failure rates as high as 70-90 per cent. In Victoria just 1 per cent of those who registered for a free certificate IV in plumbing successfully completed their training.
Given taxpayers have invested $1.5 billion in this program, Minister Giles must provide a comprehensive update on Labor’s Fee Free TAFE program today including how many ‘cancellations’ or ‘non-completions’ there have been across the 500,000 enrolments.
Anthony Albanese was elected on a simple promise – that he would skill more Australians.
Yet since Labor took office Australia has 85,000 fewer apprentices and trainees, a loss of one in five. New training starts have dropped by 39 per cent. Despite 500,000 Fee Free TAFE enrolments, training numbers continue to collapse.
Labor has delivered worse skills shortages, fewer apprentices and trainees and a collapse in confidence across the training sector, Australia’s skills system is at crisis point.
Minister Giles' vow of silence presents a real problem for Anthony Albanese.
Anthony Albanese backed Andrew Giles by gifting him this important portfolio.
Every day Giles stays silent is further proof that this decision was a mistake.
It is time for Minister Giles to come out of hiding and answer these questions today.