Shadow Minister for Skills and Training, Scott Buchholz MP, has joined Federal Member for Hinkler, David Batt MP, to meet with manufacturers, business representatives and training providers in Bundaberg.
The pair hosted a series of meetings hearing about the critical role regional employers play in driving productivity and the skills shortage that continues to bite, particularly in regional areas like Hinkler.
“With the Brisbane Olympic Games less than a decade away, Queensland needs a strong, skilled workforce to deliver the infrastructure, services and opportunities that will flow from this once-in-a-generation event,” Mr Buchholz said.
“Yet, instead of tackling the skills and training crisis head-on, Labor is presiding over a 60-year low in productivity. The Treasurer has simply run out of ideas. The only things the Government seems to have on the table are talk of a four-day work week and higher taxes.
“That’s not a productivity plan, it’s an admission that Labor has no idea what to do. And it’s no surprise, because this is a government made up of people who have never run a business themselves.”
Mr Buchholz said the skills shortage is being compounded by Labor’s failure to support apprentices and trainees.
“When we left office, we had over 400,000 apprentices and trainees in the system. Today, there are 100,000 fewer under this government. That is a shocking decline, and it is leaving Australian businesses high and dry. Labor is failing employers who are desperate for skilled workers and young Australians who deserve opportunities.”
Mr Buchholz said regional businesses are being left behind while Labor dithers.
“Businesses are crying out for apprentices, for trades, and for skilled workers to keep production strong. But under Labor, the pipeline of skilled workers just isn’t there,” he said.
Federal Member for Hinkler, David Batt MP, said the Hinkler region has some of the hardest working businesses in the country, but they are being hampered by skills shortages and a government that isn’t listening.
“Local businesses are doing world-class work,” Mr Batt said.
“They should be supported to expand and grow, but instead, like so many regional employers, they’re struggling to find the skilled staff they need. It’s holding them back, and it’s holding our region back.”
“Labor has no real plan on productivity or training. Australia needs more than words and a meeting behind closed doors in Canberra. That doesn’t help Bundaberg and Hervey Bay businesses. What we need is a proper plan to build a skilled workforce and back regional economies.”
Mr Buchholz said the Coalition remains committed to working with regional businesses to deliver practical solutions that will fix the skills shortage and lift productivity across Australia.