5 years ago
GOVERNMENT MUST ACT TO PROTECT APPRENTICES
THE HON BRENDAN O’CONNOR MP
News that the Fair Work Ombudsman is again taking legal action against Pulis Professional Plumbing for alleged underpayment of apprentices’ raises further concerns the Coalition is not doing enough to protect young workers.
Last year, an FWO audit found 32 per cent of the audited businesses were not paying their apprentices correctly.
The news comes on the back of ABC reports last week that another employer knew about workplace hazards prior to the death of 20-year-old apprentice Dillon Wu.
These new revelations are of particular concern because the Coalition is about to roll out a costly and ill-conceived new apprenticeship program, the so-called ‘bush wage’.
The bush wage subsidy scheme, based on a One Nation policy, is designed to stop the National Party bleeding votes to One Nation throughout regional Australia.
Under the scheme, an astonishing $37,000 will be spent per apprentice, close to four times the amount the Commonwealth currently spends on other apprenticeships.
Given recent examples of exploitation of apprentices, what guarantees are there that the bush wage subsidy won’t attract non-compliant employers?
How much of the $60 million allocated to the scheme will be spent on ensuring that apprentices won’t be exploited?
Instead of encouraging business to invest in critical skills development, the bush wage subsidy just encourages the treatment of apprentices as cheap labour.
Skills Minister Michaelia Cash must guarantee that no apprentice will be exploited under this scheme.
Minister Cash has not outlined what protections are built into the policy to prevent apprentices being exploited and what steps are being taken to deal with rampant exploitation of apprentices exposed by recent FWO reports.
The Minister needs to give assurances that apprentice’s will not be underpaid or put into unsafe work environments as part of this scheme.
Unfortunately, Minister Cash’s track record on apprenticeships is abysmal.
The Government’s projections of 1,630 new apprenticeships arising from the scheme will nowhere near make up for the 140,000 lost under the Coalition.
In Senator Cash’s home state of Western Australia, there are 9,615 fewer apprenticeships, including more than 7000 in trade occupations, since the Liberals came to power.
On top of its $3 billion cuts to vocational education, the Coalition’s last budget cut a further $270 million from apprenticeships as part of its deeply flawed Skilling Australians Fund.
Last year, an FWO audit found 32 per cent of the audited businesses were not paying their apprentices correctly.
The news comes on the back of ABC reports last week that another employer knew about workplace hazards prior to the death of 20-year-old apprentice Dillon Wu.
These new revelations are of particular concern because the Coalition is about to roll out a costly and ill-conceived new apprenticeship program, the so-called ‘bush wage’.
The bush wage subsidy scheme, based on a One Nation policy, is designed to stop the National Party bleeding votes to One Nation throughout regional Australia.
Under the scheme, an astonishing $37,000 will be spent per apprentice, close to four times the amount the Commonwealth currently spends on other apprenticeships.
Given recent examples of exploitation of apprentices, what guarantees are there that the bush wage subsidy won’t attract non-compliant employers?
How much of the $60 million allocated to the scheme will be spent on ensuring that apprentices won’t be exploited?
Instead of encouraging business to invest in critical skills development, the bush wage subsidy just encourages the treatment of apprentices as cheap labour.
Skills Minister Michaelia Cash must guarantee that no apprentice will be exploited under this scheme.
Minister Cash has not outlined what protections are built into the policy to prevent apprentices being exploited and what steps are being taken to deal with rampant exploitation of apprentices exposed by recent FWO reports.
The Minister needs to give assurances that apprentice’s will not be underpaid or put into unsafe work environments as part of this scheme.
Unfortunately, Minister Cash’s track record on apprenticeships is abysmal.
The Government’s projections of 1,630 new apprenticeships arising from the scheme will nowhere near make up for the 140,000 lost under the Coalition.
In Senator Cash’s home state of Western Australia, there are 9,615 fewer apprenticeships, including more than 7000 in trade occupations, since the Liberals came to power.
On top of its $3 billion cuts to vocational education, the Coalition’s last budget cut a further $270 million from apprenticeships as part of its deeply flawed Skilling Australians Fund.