❓ Hon Ravlich questions the Minister's opposition to a federal training funding agreement, citing potential loss of funds for WA. The Minister defends his stance, citing unacceptable conditions and WA's superior training system.
AnsweredQoN 347Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
TRAINING FUNDING — NATIONAL AGREEMENT
I refer to the minister’s reported refusal to consider an agreement with the federal government for a share of $7 billion of federal training funding, referring to it as nothing short of blackmail. (1) Since the details of the new national agreement have not yet been developed by the Council of Australian Governments, why has the minister expressed firm opposition to these as-yet unknown conditions? (2) How does the minister expect to receive federal training funding if he is going into negotiations with his mind already made up? (3) It is not the case that the minister’s ideological opposition to the federal government could well see Western Australia missing out on its fair share of federal training funding? Hon PETER COLLIER
I refer to the minister’s reported refusal to consider an agreement with the federal government for a share of $7 billion of federal training funding, referring to it as nothing short of blackmail. (1) Since the details of the new national agreement have not yet been developed by the Council of Australian Governments, why has the minister expressed firm opposition to these as-yet unknown conditions? (2) How does the minister expect to receive federal training funding if he is going into negotiations with his mind already made up? (3) It is not the case that the minister’s ideological opposition to the federal government could well see Western Australia missing out on its fair share of federal training funding? Hon PETER COLLIER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
(1) Since the details of the new national agreement have not yet been developed by the Council of Australian Governments, why has the minister expressed firm opposition to these as-yet unknown conditions? (2) How does the minister expect to receive federal training funding if he is going into negotiations with his mind already made up? (3) It is not the case that the minister’s ideological opposition to the federal government could well see Western Australia missing out on its fair share of federal training funding? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
(2) How does the minister expect to receive federal training funding if he is going into negotiations with his mind already made up? (3) It is not the case that the minister’s ideological opposition to the federal government could well see Western Australia missing out on its fair share of federal training funding? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
(3) It is not the case that the minister’s ideological opposition to the federal government could well see Western Australia missing out on its fair share of federal training funding? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
(1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
(1) Since the details of the new national agreement have not yet been developed by the Council of Australian Governments, why has the minister expressed firm opposition to these as-yet unknown conditions? (2) How does the minister expect to receive federal training funding if he is going into negotiations with his mind already made up? (3) It is not the case that the minister’s ideological opposition to the federal government could well see Western Australia missing out on its fair share of federal training funding? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
(2) How does the minister expect to receive federal training funding if he is going into negotiations with his mind already made up? (3) It is not the case that the minister’s ideological opposition to the federal government could well see Western Australia missing out on its fair share of federal training funding? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
(3) It is not the case that the minister’s ideological opposition to the federal government could well see Western Australia missing out on its fair share of federal training funding? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
(1)–(3) I am glad to be back! I thank Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich for a great question! I will clarify at the outset that I said—I want the member to understand this—that I will not be blackmailed, and Western Australia will not be blackmailed. I make no apologies for that. The productivity places program funding finishes at the end of June 2012, and that is when we will look at the new arrangements. It has become quite clear that the current federal government is making training funding conditional across the entire sector, based on standards set by the federal government. It did the same with the criteria for accreditation, which we have not signed up to and which I refuse to sign up to. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You just want to ride roughshod over here, don’t you? The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was able to ask her question in silence, so it is only reasonable that the minister gets an opportunity to answer it in silence. Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : We will not adhere to conditions set by the federal government on our training sector; it is as simple as that. We have a very good accreditation system in Western Australia with the Training Accreditation Council, and we do not have the problems that the east coast has. For the federal government to impose particular conditions on us is unacceptable and unpalatable to this government, and I stand by that. As far as the funding is concerned—what a pearler! We are about 12 months out from the next funding arrangement and we have had no notification about funding. That $7 billion is nonsense; it is absolute garbage. What we have from the federal government is a suite of re-announced programs, so it is absolute nonsense. I get on pretty well with Chris Evans; I went to uni with his wife and we are good mates, but this — Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Not any more! Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Oh, nonsense! But I do not agree with Chris’s approach on this issue. To digress for a moment, the current productivity places program model has worked particularly well in Western Australia. It has delivered around 75 000 additional places, with $132 million from the federal government and $63 million from us, and it has worked really well, unlike the other jurisdictions. It has worked really well for the reason that we have a very effective, robust, vibrant and successful training sector. That partnership arrangement finishes in June 2012, so now the federal government is saying, “Okay, we’re going to have a new partnership arrangement, but now it is going to be conditional”. That comment came out on budget night, and the very next day I was asked by numerous media outlets how I felt about it, and I said that we would always cooperate with the federal government in respect of funding for training and that there was no issue as far as that was concerned, but that I had to wait and see what the conditions were. If the federal government is going to impose particular conditions on our training sector that are counterproductive to Western Australia, I will definitely not sign the agreement; I can tell members that right now. It could mean that we would have an imposition of conditions in Western Australia that are not conducive to the expansion of the training sector. Our training sector is completely different from that of the east coast; we have a great diversity of skills sets and labour force needs in Western Australia that are completely divergent from what goes on in the east coast of Australia. I want Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to listen to this: we have more people in training in Western Australia now than ever before. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Can I invite Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at standing order 116? Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Let us look at traineeships and apprenticeships. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich rabbits on, day in, day out, ad infinitum, that there are now 3 000 fewer than when she was in office. That is garbage. Let me give members a few figures. In 2006—who was minister then? Oh, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was! There were 31 662 trainees and apprentices. How many do we have now? We have 40 855. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich interjected. Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : She is as appealing as a doublegee! Will you just be quiet? Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You’re getting hysterical! The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
The PRESIDENT : Order! I invited Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to look at that standing order; I have not seen her open the book yet, but I think she should before she interjects again. Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I will conclude. Suffice to say that I will continue to have a very productive and effective working relationship with my federal colleagues, and I am sure that there will be a very robust discussion at my next meeting with Chris and my colleagues from other jurisdictions. Yes, we will sign an agreement, but we will sign the agreement for funding only if it is not to the detriment of Western Australia. We have a very good, effective training sector in Western Australia that is working, as revealed in the figures I quoted. I am not going to put that in jeopardy.
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