❓ A parliamentary question regarding apprenticeship suspensions and cancellations, with the Minister providing clarification and data on the reasons for suspensions and differentiating them from cancellations. The Minister refutes claims of apprentices being 'sacked'.
AnsweredQoN 976Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
APPRENTICESHIPS — SUSPENSION AND CANCELLATION
I refer to the minister’s comments on 6PR on 1 September 2009 that the majority of suspended apprentices have been suspended as a direct result of their own desire or their own wishes. (1) Will the minister provide a breakdown of the list of suspended apprentices with the reasons given for their suspension? (2) Does the minister contend that the more than 2 000 unemployed apprentices were sacked as a direct result of their own desire, and will an integral part of the new department be a ruthless implementation of the minister’s blame-the-victim philosophy? Hon PETER COLLIER
I refer to the minister’s comments on 6PR on 1 September 2009 that the majority of suspended apprentices have been suspended as a direct result of their own desire or their own wishes. (1) Will the minister provide a breakdown of the list of suspended apprentices with the reasons given for their suspension? (2) Does the minister contend that the more than 2 000 unemployed apprentices were sacked as a direct result of their own desire, and will an integral part of the new department be a ruthless implementation of the minister’s blame-the-victim philosophy? Hon PETER COLLIER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
(1) Will the minister provide a breakdown of the list of suspended apprentices with the reasons given for their suspension? (2) Does the minister contend that the more than 2 000 unemployed apprentices were sacked as a direct result of their own desire, and will an integral part of the new department be a ruthless implementation of the minister’s blame-the-victim philosophy? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
(2) Does the minister contend that the more than 2 000 unemployed apprentices were sacked as a direct result of their own desire, and will an integral part of the new department be a ruthless implementation of the minister’s blame-the-victim philosophy? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
(1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
(2) Not applicable.
(1) Will the minister provide a breakdown of the list of suspended apprentices with the reasons given for their suspension? (2) Does the minister contend that the more than 2 000 unemployed apprentices were sacked as a direct result of their own desire, and will an integral part of the new department be a ruthless implementation of the minister’s blame-the-victim philosophy? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
(2) Does the minister contend that the more than 2 000 unemployed apprentices were sacked as a direct result of their own desire, and will an integral part of the new department be a ruthless implementation of the minister’s blame-the-victim philosophy? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
I thank the honourable member for the question. I will explain the difference between cancellation of apprenticeships and suspension of apprenticeships. Obviously, when the honourable member opposite was minister she had no idea what cancellation of apprenticeships meant. Cancellation of apprenticeships means that the apprenticeship has been cancelled as a direct result of the apprentice deciding to do something else. At the end of June 2008 around 2 500 apprenticeships were cancelled. At the end June 2009 around 2 500 were cancelled. That means the apprentices decided they did not want to do an apprenticeship. It may have been due to a health or personal issue. More often than not they decide they do not want to do an apprenticeship because they have moved to another area or to another career pathway. Because Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich has real problems with this I must emphasise that they are not sacked. She has put out media releases and been in the press all over the place. She is categorically wrong. Cancellation of an apprenticeship means that the apprentice does not want to do an apprenticeship. Tens of thousands of students start at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia or Curtin University of Technology and, after six or 12 months, decide that they want another career pathway. That is a cancellation; it is not a sacking. I want to clarify one more time that the 2 500 apprentices who cancelled their apprenticeship were not sacked; they left as a result of income, health or a raft of other issues. For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
For the benefit of the honourable member, a suspended apprenticeship means that it is a mutual decision between the employer and the employee. Again it is to do with a health or personal issue. It will be mutually decided to suspend an apprenticeship for a period of time and then come back to it. That is the difference between a cancelled apprenticeship and a suspended apprenticeship. I suggest Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich get a firm understanding of these terms before she makes ridiculous, unqualified, categorically wrong comments. (1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
(1) There were 264 apprentices suspended in Western Australia as at 18 September 2009. The reasons for suspension were: downturn, 19; medical, 170; misconduct, four; personal, 71 for a total of 264. Therefore, 241 of the 264 apprentices on suspension—91.3 per cent—have elected to go on suspension for health or personal reasons. (2) Not applicable.
(2) Not applicable.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.