❓ The Minister outlines initiatives to support the building and construction workforce, including visa subsidies, migration programs, and apprentice incentives, highlighting a significant increase in apprenticeships.
AnsweredQoN 786Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY — TRAINING
786. Ms C.M. COLLINS to the Minister for Training and
Workforce Development:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
targeted workforce measures to support the construction of more homes in Western
Australia.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how new, innovative programs, such as the construction
visa subsidy program, are working in tandem
with Western Australian TAFE programs to support the Western Australian building and construction sector?
(2) Can the minister advise the house whether she is
aware of any other proposals to support Western Australia's in
demand building and construction workforce?
786. Ms C.M. COLLINS to the Minister for Training and
Workforce Development:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
targeted workforce measures to support the construction of more homes in Western
Australia.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how new, innovative programs, such as the construction
visa subsidy program, are working in tandem
with Western Australian TAFE programs to support the Western Australian building and construction sector?
(2) Can the minister advise the house whether she is
aware of any other proposals to support Western Australia's in
demand building and construction workforce?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. I am glad I get questions from my own side
on my portfolios because I never get them from the other side. I can only assume
that is because they think I am doing a fantastic job on training. It has been
321 days since I have had a question from the opposition on training. That is
better than industrial relations, which includes safety; it is 863 days since I
have had a question from members on the
other side. Thank you very much, member, for asking this question. Our side is
very much interested in labour and skilled labour and making sure we
have the skills needed to build houses and meet the commercial and
infrastructure needs of our state.
The member referred to the
construction visa subsidy program. That has been a really important part of a suite
of packages we have put in place since we came to office, particularly since
the COVID pandemic when we have known that skilled labour is a key pinch point
in delivery of housing and freeing up housing supply
in particular, as well as commercial and infrastructure needs. Of course, our
priority is to train local people for local jobs. I can talk about that.
We know that we have to get skilled people in now and training does take time.
We have argued for, first of all, an increase in our state migration plan and
also for the first time a designated area migration agreement—a DAMA—to
deliver 10 000 places for our state. That will be a massive increase in skilled
migrants for our state, both sponsored and unsponsored through the state
nominated migration program. That has been really positive.
That is in addition to the training
that we are doing. The state nominated migration program is for people who can
come in who do not have to be sponsored by an employer. Over a third of those
places—35 per cent—have been taken by the building and
construction workforce so that is really positive. The construction visa
subsidy program that the member mentioned is part of a $47.6 million package of
initiatives to assist the construction sector to attract and retain skilled
workers whose positions cannot be filled locally. This is a $10 000 incentive
to help employers sponsor a skilled migrant. It can be used for migration
agents, relocation fees or visa application fees. More than 1 200 migrants have
been supported through the program to date and there are now over 360 more
workers on the ground as a result of this program and there are more to come.
They are people in construction—carpenters, cabinetmakers, bricklayers,
tilers and plumbers. It is really good to see that being taken up. All the
feedback I am getting from individual employers, who I meet with and see at
events, is that it has been a really positive program.
We are also looking at a program to
have an incentive for eastern states tradies to come over. It is a $10 000 incentive and we will talk more about
that in coming weeks. That is on top of a range of initiatives to train
local people. Our group training organisation subsidy program all but pays for
the wages of an apprentice through group training organisations, or GTOs. These
are registered training organisations that work
with apprentices. At the moment, we have subsidised 600 apprentices through
those programs, through the construction training fund. It has been
really successful. We have incentives to retain apprentices so that they
complete their apprenticeships. At the moment, the construction training fund
has sent out over 1 700 payments. We also have tool allowances. All these sorts
of incentives are to get people into training and then keep them in training.
There are record numbers of people in training at the moment. There are 11 400
apprentices and trainees in building and construction in Western Australia.
That is really fantastic. That is about 76 per cent higher than it was before
the pandemic. They are all good, impressive programs that are really making a difference
on the ground.
I was interested to see what the
Liberal Party is doing about this issue. As members would be aware, the Liberal
Party recently announced its housing policy. This document is perhaps a bit
generous to the Liberal Party; we thought we
would bulk it up a bit and print it single-sided so it looked a bit better.
Looking at the housing policy, we see that there is not a single thing
about skilled labour. There is not one mention that to increase the supply of
housing we need more skilled labour here in Western Australia and either to
train more people or bring them in.
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
Ms S.F. McGURK : There is not
one word, member.
Several members interjected.
The ACTING SPEAKER : Order,
please.
Ms
S.F. McGURK : There is not one
word about it. I just wonder why that might be the case. As others have pointed out, the Liberal Party really is a policy-free zone. It has no solutions at
all. The Housing Industry Association as recently as 16 October released one of
its national reports on this issue, which says —
''Achieving the Housing Accord's
target of building 1.2 million homes over the next five years is critical to
meeting national housing demand and alleviating housing cost pressures, but it
will not happen without a significant increase in the construction trades
workforce,'' �
That is what the Housing Industry
Association said just three weeks ago on 16 October. A statement that really
did bring a smile to my face came from Richard Pappas from the Urban
Development Institute of Australia WA. I think
he stood next to the member for Vasse when she announced the Liberal Party's
housing policy. In July, he said —
One of the biggest roadblocks to
getting housing supply to the market has been skills and labour shortages,
which have stifled the development industry's capacity to deliver more
homes to people who need the m.
The
person from UDIA who the member for Vasse stood next when she released her
policy says that we need skilled labour. Having heard that, there is
nothing absolutely nothing in the Liberal Party's policy—absolutely
nothing! Perhaps the member should stop
interjecting and think for a moment about what the Liberal Party can do to
increase skilled labour—the number of people we need to either
train or bring in from overseas—to meet housing demand.
The SPEAKER : The Leader of
the Opposition with the last question.
thank the member for the question. I am glad I get questions from my own side
on my portfolios because I never get them from the other side. I can only assume
that is because they think I am doing a fantastic job on training. It has been
321 days since I have had a question from the opposition on training. That is
better than industrial relations, which includes safety; it is 863 days since I
have had a question from members on the
other side. Thank you very much, member, for asking this question. Our side is
very much interested in labour and skilled labour and making sure we
have the skills needed to build houses and meet the commercial and
infrastructure needs of our state.
The member referred to the
construction visa subsidy program. That has been a really important part of a suite
of packages we have put in place since we came to office, particularly since
the COVID pandemic when we have known that skilled labour is a key pinch point
in delivery of housing and freeing up housing supply
in particular, as well as commercial and infrastructure needs. Of course, our
priority is to train local people for local jobs. I can talk about that.
We know that we have to get skilled people in now and training does take time.
We have argued for, first of all, an increase in our state migration plan and
also for the first time a designated area migration agreement—a DAMA—to
deliver 10 000 places for our state. That will be a massive increase in skilled
migrants for our state, both sponsored and unsponsored through the state
nominated migration program. That has been really positive.
That is in addition to the training
that we are doing. The state nominated migration program is for people who can
come in who do not have to be sponsored by an employer. Over a third of those
places—35 per cent—have been taken by the building and
construction workforce so that is really positive. The construction visa
subsidy program that the member mentioned is part of a $47.6 million package of
initiatives to assist the construction sector to attract and retain skilled
workers whose positions cannot be filled locally. This is a $10 000 incentive
to help employers sponsor a skilled migrant. It can be used for migration
agents, relocation fees or visa application fees. More than 1 200 migrants have
been supported through the program to date and there are now over 360 more
workers on the ground as a result of this program and there are more to come.
They are people in construction—carpenters, cabinetmakers, bricklayers,
tilers and plumbers. It is really good to see that being taken up. All the
feedback I am getting from individual employers, who I meet with and see at
events, is that it has been a really positive program.
We are also looking at a program to
have an incentive for eastern states tradies to come over. It is a $10 000 incentive and we will talk more about
that in coming weeks. That is on top of a range of initiatives to train
local people. Our group training organisation subsidy program all but pays for
the wages of an apprentice through group training organisations, or GTOs. These
are registered training organisations that work
with apprentices. At the moment, we have subsidised 600 apprentices through
those programs, through the construction training fund. It has been
really successful. We have incentives to retain apprentices so that they
complete their apprenticeships. At the moment, the construction training fund
has sent out over 1 700 payments. We also have tool allowances. All these sorts
of incentives are to get people into training and then keep them in training.
There are record numbers of people in training at the moment. There are 11 400
apprentices and trainees in building and construction in Western Australia.
That is really fantastic. That is about 76 per cent higher than it was before
the pandemic. They are all good, impressive programs that are really making a difference
on the ground.
I was interested to see what the
Liberal Party is doing about this issue. As members would be aware, the Liberal
Party recently announced its housing policy. This document is perhaps a bit
generous to the Liberal Party; we thought we
would bulk it up a bit and print it single-sided so it looked a bit better.
Looking at the housing policy, we see that there is not a single thing
about skilled labour. There is not one mention that to increase the supply of
housing we need more skilled labour here in Western Australia and either to
train more people or bring them in.
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
Ms S.F. McGURK : There is not
one word, member.
Several members interjected.
The ACTING SPEAKER : Order,
please.
Ms
S.F. McGURK : There is not one
word about it. I just wonder why that might be the case. As others have pointed out, the Liberal Party really is a policy-free zone. It has no solutions at
all. The Housing Industry Association as recently as 16 October released one of
its national reports on this issue, which says —
''Achieving the Housing Accord's
target of building 1.2 million homes over the next five years is critical to
meeting national housing demand and alleviating housing cost pressures, but it
will not happen without a significant increase in the construction trades
workforce,'' �
That is what the Housing Industry
Association said just three weeks ago on 16 October. A statement that really
did bring a smile to my face came from Richard Pappas from the Urban
Development Institute of Australia WA. I think
he stood next to the member for Vasse when she announced the Liberal Party's
housing policy. In July, he said —
One of the biggest roadblocks to
getting housing supply to the market has been skills and labour shortages,
which have stifled the development industry's capacity to deliver more
homes to people who need the m.
The
person from UDIA who the member for Vasse stood next when she released her
policy says that we need skilled labour. Having heard that, there is
nothing absolutely nothing in the Liberal Party's policy—absolutely
nothing! Perhaps the member should stop
interjecting and think for a moment about what the Liberal Party can do to
increase skilled labour—the number of people we need to either
train or bring in from overseas—to meet housing demand.
The SPEAKER : The Leader of
the Opposition with the last question.
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