Resumed from 28 March on the following motion moved by Hon Martin Aldridge —
That this house —
(a) notes that the introduction of the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund has supported the training and employment of more than 48 000 apprentices and trainees and has helped over 340 000 industry workers to upgrade their skills;
(b) notes the “Review of the Operation and Effectiveness of the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund and Levy Collection Act 1990” of June 2014 that recommended the amendment to regulations to withdraw the current exemption from the payment of the levy applying to engineering construction projects in the resources industry;
(c) supports the amendment of regulation 3AA of the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund and Levy Collection Regulations 1991, therefore requiring construction projects in the mining and petroleum industry to contribute to the training and skills development in the building and construction industry; and
(d) calls on the government to immediately amend the regulation to support local job creation and skills development across the building and construction industry.
[Speeches and comments from various members]
Amendment to Motion
Hon SUE ELLERY — without notice: I move —
That the motion be amended as follows —
(1) To insert after paragraph (b) —
(c) notes the changes to the commonwealth funding agreements for funding training places which have resulted in $54 million less for Western Australia in 2017–18, compared to 2016–17;
(2) To insert into paragraph (c) after “supports” —
in-principle
(3) In paragraph (d) delete “immediately”
[Speeches and comments from various members]
HON ALISON XAMON (North Metropolitan) [1.58 pm]: I rise on behalf of the Greens to indicate that the Greens will also be supporting this amendment. It is important that the debate on this motion includes what has happened with the federal government funding, because that is part of the overall context of the strain that our training system has come under. It is important that we in this chamber continue to draw attention to this issue, because it is a very serious matter.
I am also pleased that the proposed amendment to the motion will provide a degree of flexibility in how the negotiations with the resources industry will proceed. It is pleasing to hear that those negotiations have progressed. I note that at the time this motion was put on the notice paper by Hon Martin Aldridge, those of us who are not in government did not have knowledge of the government’s intention around the future of the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund and whether progress would be made to include the resources industry as a contributor to this very important fund. I share the views expressed by the minister with regard to ensuring that the resources industry starts to contribute a bit more of its fair share, because it has been a net beneficiary of the training paid for by so many other areas within the construction sector. That is very important.
Nevertheless this has, on the whole, been a really useful debate. It is a really important issue and this motion has turned out to be quite timely, unlike many other motions on notice that we end up debating in this place. There is a benefit, in this instance, of having the debate come on so long after the motion was put on the agenda because we are able to note that there has been progress made by the government in this area. I will be very keen to continue to hear regular updates on the progress of the negotiations and what the outcome is likely to be. I share the concerns raised about the consultation and hope that it will be effective and comprehensive and that all parties that should be consulted on this matter are consulted. Even if they do not end up with the outcomes they might prefer, I hope they at least feel as though they have had a fair hearing and that their concerns have been duly considered.
This is an important amendment that probably helps to round out what was already a good motion in the first place and to reflect where events have landed since the motion was first put on the notice paper.
[Speeches and comments from various members]
Amendment (insertion of words) put and passed.
[Speeches and comments from various members]
Division
Question put and a division taken
Question passed.