❓ The Minister for Skills and TAFE outlines the Cook Labor government's programs and investments aimed at boosting Western Australia's construction workforce to address housing needs, including Free TAFE, Group Training Organisation Wage Subsidy program, and the Construction Visa Subsidy Program. The answer also criticizes the opposition's past policies regarding TAFE fees.
AnsweredQoN 352Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Housing—Construction
352. Ms Caitlin Collins to the Minister for Skills and TAFE:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's investment in training and growing WA's construction
workforce.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house
how this government is delivering programs and initiatives to boost our
construction workforce?
(2) Can the minister advise the house how
these measures are ensuring that Western Australia has the skilled workers it
needs to deliver more housing?
352. Ms Caitlin Collins to the Minister for Skills and TAFE:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's investment in training and growing WA's construction
workforce.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house
how this government is delivering programs and initiatives to boost our
construction workforce?
(2) Can the minister advise the house how
these measures are ensuring that Western Australia has the skilled workers it
needs to deliver more housing?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for Hillarys for the
question. We recently visited the Joondalup North Metropolitan TAFE campus to
visit some nursing students and allied health support worker students. It was a
fantastic visit. We know that this government is investing more in housing than
ever before. As the Minister for Housing and Works has outlined, since 2021
there has been a $10.8 billion investment in housing in Western Australia.
We are building more houses than we have ever built before. Building approvals grew
to 25,050 in February 2026. We are connecting more residential lots to water
and power infrastructure than we have ever done before, and building
commencements increased to 23,830 homes in 2025.
Who is going to build the
houses? Who is going to continue to build the houses that Western Australians
need to live in? We need a strong construction workforce. We need trades. We
need men and women willing to take up tools, do an apprenticeship and get a
trade. This government has done more than any government to support the
construction workforce in Western Australia through free TAFE courses and
through supporting many of our private registered training organisations. We
cannot build more homes without skilled workers. It is as simple as that.
This budget included a number of
initiatives, including continuing free TAFE across a range of courses—in
particular, those for the construction workforce. We have $19 million for
an additional 330 places in the Group Training Organisation Wage Subsidy
program, which supports small and medium-sized businesses to employ an
apprentice. It is often a long-term investment for small and medium-sized
businesses. It can be too much of a risk and a lot of resources to support
apprentices, particularly in the first couple of years when they are starting
and when they leave school. This gives those businesses an opportunity to work
with apprentices, and it gives apprentices a great opportunity to try lots of
different businesses and gain great work experience. This has boosted those
places to over 1,300 and was called for by the construction sector.
We are also bringing more people
with those skills into Western Australia. We have the Construction Visa Subsidy
Program and Build a Life in WA. Since it started, that alone has brought more
than 5,300 construction workers into the Western Australian construction
sector.
We are continuing to back free
TAFE, with an additional seven free construction courses this year. Just this
year, there were 4,200 enrolments in free construction courses, and WA has the
best completion rates in the country. There has been a 42% increase in
construction apprentices and a 72% increase in electrical apprentices, and that
is all because of free TAFE. It is all because of this government's investment in,
and support for, trades and people who want to take up a trade.
We know what will happen if the Liberal,
National and One Nation parties get into government. We know what will happen.
They will hike up TAFE course fees, just like they hiked them up by 510% when
they were in government. The certificate II in construction went up by 200%
under the Liberal–National government. They will make it harder to build houses
for Western Australians. They will make it harder for kids and adults who want
to earn a good living in the construction workforce. Free TAFE makes it
possible to actually be able to do that. Free TAFE unlocks so much for Western
Australians. It lowers the barriers for people who would otherwise find it
impossible to train.
We know the Liberal Party's new
slogan is "Good governments get the basics right, then get out of the way".
That is its snappy new slogan. What is its plan to build more homes? What is
its plan to deliver a skilled workforce? What will it do with the Construction Visa
Subsidy Program when it buddies up with One Nation? What will it do to the
residential construction workforce—the 5,000 tradies who have come from
overseas to build houses for Western Australians? What will it do with that,
with its preference deal with One Nation? What is the cost? The cost is houses
for Western Australians.
question. We recently visited the Joondalup North Metropolitan TAFE campus to
visit some nursing students and allied health support worker students. It was a
fantastic visit. We know that this government is investing more in housing than
ever before. As the Minister for Housing and Works has outlined, since 2021
there has been a $10.8 billion investment in housing in Western Australia.
We are building more houses than we have ever built before. Building approvals grew
to 25,050 in February 2026. We are connecting more residential lots to water
and power infrastructure than we have ever done before, and building
commencements increased to 23,830 homes in 2025.
Who is going to build the
houses? Who is going to continue to build the houses that Western Australians
need to live in? We need a strong construction workforce. We need trades. We
need men and women willing to take up tools, do an apprenticeship and get a
trade. This government has done more than any government to support the
construction workforce in Western Australia through free TAFE courses and
through supporting many of our private registered training organisations. We
cannot build more homes without skilled workers. It is as simple as that.
This budget included a number of
initiatives, including continuing free TAFE across a range of courses—in
particular, those for the construction workforce. We have $19 million for
an additional 330 places in the Group Training Organisation Wage Subsidy
program, which supports small and medium-sized businesses to employ an
apprentice. It is often a long-term investment for small and medium-sized
businesses. It can be too much of a risk and a lot of resources to support
apprentices, particularly in the first couple of years when they are starting
and when they leave school. This gives those businesses an opportunity to work
with apprentices, and it gives apprentices a great opportunity to try lots of
different businesses and gain great work experience. This has boosted those
places to over 1,300 and was called for by the construction sector.
We are also bringing more people
with those skills into Western Australia. We have the Construction Visa Subsidy
Program and Build a Life in WA. Since it started, that alone has brought more
than 5,300 construction workers into the Western Australian construction
sector.
We are continuing to back free
TAFE, with an additional seven free construction courses this year. Just this
year, there were 4,200 enrolments in free construction courses, and WA has the
best completion rates in the country. There has been a 42% increase in
construction apprentices and a 72% increase in electrical apprentices, and that
is all because of free TAFE. It is all because of this government's investment in,
and support for, trades and people who want to take up a trade.
We know what will happen if the Liberal,
National and One Nation parties get into government. We know what will happen.
They will hike up TAFE course fees, just like they hiked them up by 510% when
they were in government. The certificate II in construction went up by 200%
under the Liberal–National government. They will make it harder to build houses
for Western Australians. They will make it harder for kids and adults who want
to earn a good living in the construction workforce. Free TAFE makes it
possible to actually be able to do that. Free TAFE unlocks so much for Western
Australians. It lowers the barriers for people who would otherwise find it
impossible to train.
We know the Liberal Party's new
slogan is "Good governments get the basics right, then get out of the way".
That is its snappy new slogan. What is its plan to build more homes? What is
its plan to deliver a skilled workforce? What will it do with the Construction Visa
Subsidy Program when it buddies up with One Nation? What will it do to the
residential construction workforce—the 5,000 tradies who have come from
overseas to build houses for Western Australians? What will it do with that,
with its preference deal with One Nation? What is the cost? The cost is houses
for Western Australians.
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