Workready

I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills a question about WorkReady. 

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: The minister has claimed both in the public domain and private meetings that in arriving at the WorkReady model there was extensive industry and RTO consultation relating to WorkReady funding allocations.

My question for the minister is: can she provide the names of specific organisations, the representatives of each and the respective date that she met with RTOs and consulted them on funding relating to training in broadacre agriculture?

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) ( 14:43 :32 ): As I have said in this place before, we undertook extensive consultation with—

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It's hysterical. As I said, extensive consultation took place, not only in terms of a series of meetings with major stakeholders, including major industry representatives and associations, but also, we invited submissions and received over 1,500 submissions. I can list all of those if the honourable member really wants but I think that's—

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Yes, please.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I'm not happy to waste the time of my officials, but I will take that on notice and I will bring back the comprehensive list of the participants who contributed to that consultation in terms of providing us with submissions and also a list of the meetings that were had.

As I said, it was a comprehensive consultation. We had a subsidised training list of around 900. Feedback from the industry was quite clear that they believed it was far too many and it complicated the way we approach subsidised training. They indicated that there were many who were completely outdated and out of mode. Really, it was the industry who requested that that task be undertaken.

So, we listened to the industry and, as I said, undertook a comprehensive industry consultation session that enabled us to arrive at the current subsidised training list.

I have said in this place many times, and in public, that we've indicated the best fit possible from that extensive dialogue, but we will continue to listen to the industry. TASC will continue its dialogue. I have asked them to continue to engage with key industry stakeholders to ensure that we have that list right and to make any further changes that might be needed. So, it is a piece of work that is in progress and will remain in progress to ensure that we have the most up-to-date and industry relevant focus on subsidised training as possible.

23 September 2015

In reply to  the Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK  ( 30 June 2015 ).

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) : I am advised:

The WorkReady Subsidised Training List survey was conducted in April 2015 to provide specific opportunity for interested stakeholders to provide feedback about the streamlining of the Subsidised Training List. More than 1,500 respondents accessed the survey. Of these, over 50 individual respondents provided advice on courses in the Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management training package. 

I am advised that 40 submissions were made to the Department of State Development by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), industry associations or employers, with the remainder being employment service agencies, the secondary school sector, local government or private citizens. 

The WorkReady policy settings are the culmination of input received over the life of Skills for All, including an external review and consultation by the Training and Skills Commission; not just the latest survey on the Subsidised Training List.  

Following the release of the Subsidised Training List I met with those RTOs that requested a meeting including: 

Primary Producers SA, 3 July 2015 

Regional Skills Training, 2 July 2015 and 3 July 2015 

Grain Producers SA, 3 July 2015  

Australian Meat Industry Council, 8 July 2015.