EDUCATION AND TRAINING — COMMONWEALTH NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP

943. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Minister for Education and Training:

I refer to commonwealth national partnership funding for training, and to the anticipated funding shortfall identified during budget estimates hearings.

(1)  Has the uncertainty around that commonwealth funding been resolved?

(2)  If no to (1), when does the minister anticipate the uncertainty will be resolved?

(3)  If yes to (1), what is the funding shortfall anticipated for 2017–18?

(4)  What conditions have been placed on the commonwealth funding?

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question

(1)  No. This is a matter of significant consternation to me. The last conversation I had with the Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, Hon Karen Andrews, was that the matter was being effectively handed over to the Prime Minister, but the matter remains unresolved.

(2)  Funding for the national partnership is dependent upon the Migration Amendment (Skilling Australians Fund) Bill 2017 being passed. This bill has been referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment, with a proposed reporting date of 9 February 2018. We had been advised earlier that the federal government anticipated that this bill, which will enable the money to be released for the commonwealth to provide to the states, would be passed by the end of this year. That is not going to happen.

(3)  The answer that has been provided is “Not applicable”. We are anticipating a shortfall of, I think, some $16 million for 2017–18, but I will check that figure.

(4)  The key conditions under the national partnership include restricting funding for apprenticeships, traineeships and pre-apprenticeships only, which means that the federal government will not provide funding under this scheme for general training, and controls over how the funding is accessed and allocated by the state.

 

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