The Tarzia Liberal team has a strong plan to boost our building workforce to ensure the homes of our future get built, as South Australia faces a dire skills shortage.
The seven point plan for Boosting South Australian Apprenticeships would see more tradies in jobs sooner and getting paid while they do it.
Leader of the Opposition, Vincent Tarzia said at a time when the median house price for Adelaide is at an all-time high at $850,000, South Australians are in desperate need of more housing stock to come online quickly.
“A median home in Adelaide costs almost nine times the median household income, well above the 20-year average in Australia which stands at 6.7,” Mr Tarzia said.
“The dream of home ownership has been pushed well out of reach for many, we need more homes, and we need them as quickly as possible.
“The Malinauskas Labor Government has made a big show of announcing thousands of new homes on four sites across Adelaide, but it will be at least another two and a half years before anyone can move in, with not a single slab laid to date.
"Now, Peter Malinauskas is announcing even more hypothetical homes, but there is a serious skills shortage that needs to be addressed first.”
BuildSkills Australia forecasts that in 2025, South Australia will be 30,000 workers short in the built environment (construction, property and water industries combined) if the Government is to meet its policy objectives.
What's more, the latest NCVER Apprentices and Trainees Report shows the number of apprentices and trainees commencing training has dropped by 16.7 per cent for the September 2024 quarter, compared to the same period in 2023.
“Not only do we need more workers, we also have fewer starting apprenticeships and traineeships” Shadow Minister for Skills and Training, Matt Cowdrey said.
“Unlike Labor, the Opposition have a plan to boost the number of people taking up a trade - with faster apprenticeships, payroll tax exemptions for apprentices and trainees and guaranteed funding for construction training.
“This is in addition to a Federal Coalition commitment to increase the instant asset write-off for small businesses from $1,000 from 1 July 2025 under Labor, to $30,000 ongoing, which is money that could be redirected to supporting young trainees and apprentices.”
The seven point Liberal plan for Boosting South Australian Apprenticeships includes:
1. Three-year apprenticeships, where appropriate.
2. Boosting group training.
3. Guaranteed funding for construction training.
4. Mentors for apprentices and their supervisors.
5. Payroll tax exemptions for trainees and apprentices.
6. Lifting the status of apprenticeships - bringing Worldskills to Adelaide.
7. Better career counselling and VET programs in all our schools.
