Scott Morrison has announced this morning that he will replace a miserly 2 per cent of the $3 billion his government has cut from skills training and vocational education.
The savage cuts made by this government to skills training has seen 150,000 fewer people in apprenticeships and contributed significantly to the regional youth unemployment crisis which Morrison is now claiming to care about.
This funding doesn’t even touch the side of the hole left by the government’s cuts to vocational education and training.
It is an insult to all young people who are trying to get a trade or a job, especially in regional areas.
As noted by ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:
“Scott Morrison cut $3 billion from TAFE, apprenticeships and skills training. He’s now returning $6 million – just 2 per cent of that, and he expects young people in regional areas to say thanks.
“This is a government which has completely lost touch with working people. We need real investment in skills training and TAFE at, or above the levels we saw when this government came into office.
“The Morrison Government can start by reversing the other 98 per cent of its own cuts, and then it can start improving funding.
“Scott Morrison’s vision for Australia is low wage and low skilled jobs. You can’t raise productivity or equip people with skills for the future if you do not invest in education.”
