Apprentices and Trainees

The Hon. A.L. McLACHLAN (14:46): A supplementary, Mr President: given that the minister conceded yesterday that the Premier at the last budget round announced that he would look at a range of new tax reform, will the minister concede that reinstating the payroll tax exemption is something the state government can do to positively impact the numbers of apprenticeships and training positions?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:47): That is not a supplementary, sir.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! No, sit down. The minister has answered and given her position. She has no answer because she is not going to answer that question, so we will go on to the next one.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I am willing, sir, if you—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, I did answer the question yesterday, but I am happy to answer it again—

The PRESIDENT: If you are happy to.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —even though it is not a supplementary. I do not believe it is a supplementary but I am happy to answer it, and I did answer it yesterday.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, just answer the question then.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: We know that apprentices' enrolments and completions are down, and I have outlined the reason for that, as the NCVER report shows predominantly because of the federal Liberal government's cuts to apprenticeship and trainee funding. It is no wonder that the Hon. Andrew McLachlan is squirming in his seat.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Let's get to the answer.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: As I have indicated, this government has introduced a raft of measures to fund and assist businesses, including extending the small business payroll tax regulations—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Will the honourable opposition leader please allow the minister to answer the question?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —abolishing stamp duty on non-real property transfers, abolishing share duty and abolishing stamp duty on genuine corporate reconstruction. The tax changes will return almost $2.5 billion to businesses and the community. In addition to this, the WorkCover reforms that I referred to yesterday will provide a reduction in business costs of $180 million per annum.

We have realigned priorities to measures that we believe are better value for state investment. The government will remain committed to supporting employers to employ and train apprentices—unlike the federal Liberal government that has not introduced any initiatives to assist apprentices and trainees. All they have done is rip the guts out of funding to apprentices and trainees and then sit by and watch numbers decline.

As I indicated yesterday, if the Hon. Andrew McLachlan is really genuinely concerned about this, rather than coming into this place and selectively reading parts of a report he will be sticking up for South Australian apprentices and trainees and he will be contacting his federal Liberal counterparts and demanding that those funds to our apprentices and trainees be reinstated, including the Tools to Trade funding. If he is really genuine, that is what he would be doing.

Even his colleague next door Peter Treloar MP had the guts at least to identify the enormous hardship and impost that transferring the tools grant funds to a loan places on apprentices and trainees. So, I am challenging the Hon. Andrew McLachlan to have the guts to stand up for South Australian apprentices and trainees.