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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (21 November) . . Page.. 4008 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

These programs fill a gap in training delivery which no other organisation can fill at this point in time. Such programs complement the traditional trade training delivered by MBA Group Training and the Construction Industry Training and Employment Association, CITEA. The on-site nature of the skills centre allows considerable flexibility, in that it provides a more direct link between the on-site training given by the employer and the off-site training traditionally provided by CITEA.

Mr Osborne has raised concerns about the availability of on-the-job training in the current economic climate - a fair point. However, the benefit of the skills centre concept is its flexibility. It allows employers to take on apprentices for short periods of time, thus encouraging employment. In addition, the current numbers of unemployed young apprentices indicate that, without the new skills centre, these 80 or so young people would simply not be trained at all.

Mr Osborne also raised the issue of funds already committed to the skills centre project. I would like to clarify this point. An amount of $75,000 has already been allocated to MBA Group Training, who made an application to me under the provisions of the legislation. As with all applications for funding, I sought a recommendation from the Industry Training Council, who agreed that the funds should be allocated. I understand that those funds have not been used at this point, and further funding will be to some extent dependent upon the passage of this Bill.

Mr Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to table a copy of the contract between the Government and MBA Group Training, for members' information. In doing so, I would make the point that, following detailed discussions with the MBA, the CFMEU, the Industry Training Council and members of the crossbenches, in particular Mr Osborne, I believe that the contract needs some amending to ensure that the Government's intentions are carried out. Particular areas that need to be strengthened are the Government's guarantee that all apprentices placed in the skills centre are new apprentices; the need to ensure that a separate bank account is opened for the skills centre funding, thus ensuring transparency of financial operations; and the need to require that the auditor for the purposes of the skills centre is not an auditor for either the MBA or MBA Group Training. I give an unequivocal guarantee that the contract will be amended to pick up these points. I repeat: I give an unequivocal guarantee that the contract will be amended to pick up these points.

In conclusion, Mr Speaker, let me say that there are always going to be ideological differences between, say, me and Mr Berry on these sorts of matters, and there has been some mud thrown through the course of this debate. But the simple facts of the matter are these: We have an intolerably high level of youth unemployment in this town, particularly in the building and construction industry. This Bill will allow approximately 80 young people to be trained by way of the skills centre for a future in the industry. In addition to the skills centre, the Bill will fund, by way of a direct employer subsidisation, another 50 or so apprentices and trainees who would otherwise be at risk of losing their jobs during the current downturn. Mr Berry throughout his speech mentioned 25 people. I am talking about 80, plus another 50. Finally, this Bill will also ensure that we are not faced with a skills shortage down the track when all of us have moved on and it has become someone else's problem.

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