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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (5 September) . . Page.. 3112 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

At the heart of the amendments lies a Government commitment to employment, skill formation and business development in the ACT building and construction industry. The introduction of this Bill is a strong demonstration of the Government's faith in the ACT building and construction industry as an engine of economic development and job growth. By amending the Act in this way we are also demonstrating the Government's broader commitment to employment and training of our young people. It shows that we care about our young people who are finding it difficult to break into full-time employment in industries where there is a future for them.

Mr Berry: It will mean fewer employees. That is what it will mean.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Berry, if you want to mumble, would you mind going outside and doing it in the lobbies, and allow Mr De Domenico to introduce the legislation.

MR DE DOMENICO: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It shows that, unlike those opposite, we recognise the importance of training and upskilling as a key factor not only in giving young people a competitive edge in the job market but also in assisting the whole building and construction industry work force to develop their skills base as a means of improving productivity and competitiveness in an increasingly competitive environment. This makes good business sense, and it makes good commonsense as well. By increasing the proportion of employer long service leave contributions which is transferred on a quarterly basis to the Construction Industry Training Fund, to be applied for training in the building and construction industry, the Government is acknowledging that the current availability of public and other privately sourced funds to support employment, training and skill development is inadequate at the present time.

The reason that current sources of funding are inadequate at present is that implementation of the training reform agenda appears to be peaking in this industry. I am receiving a steady stream of project applications through the Minister for Education and Training for approval for release of money from the Construction Industry Training Fund. All these projects are approved by the industry's peak advisory body on training, the ACT Regional Building and Construction Industry Training Council, which ensures they are of a high priority for the industry and have both employer and trade union support. Regrettably, at present, demand for funds considerably outstrips supply of funds. This is why the Government is acting now.

The Government also decided that, given the current demand for training resources, it would be sensible to apply the increase in the transfer of money to the Construction Industry Training Fund as if it had been in place since 1 January 1996. This feature of the amendment will have marginal impact on the Long Service Leave Board but a major impact on the availability of funds for training. What it will do is provide a one-off immediate increase in the amount of money in the Construction Industry Training Fund.

Mr Speaker, the decision to introduce these amendments has been taken with due regard to their impact on the Long Service Leave Board. The board's annual report to the Assembly for the year ending 30 June 1995 indicated that the board has accumulated assets which are significantly in excess of current and future liabilities. The board's balance sheet shows that the board's assets and total equity stood at $18.86m

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