Mr HARDGRAVE (Minister for Vocational and Technical Education and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister) (7:56 PM) —Outlined in the documents before us is a clear commitment from this government to employer incentives and other initiatives that outline very clearly our ongoing support for apprenticeships. At the end of it, what we are proposing is a rebadging, rebranding, refocusing, revitalisation of the standing of Australian apprenticeships in the hearts and minds of the decision makers and also the young people who make those decisions themselves. The government’s commitment—a record level of commitment—is something in the order of twice the amount—

Ms Macklin —Mr Deputy Speaker, I seek to intervene.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Hon. DJC Kerr)—Would the minister permit a question?

Mr HARDGRAVE —Again, I am pursuing the question that has been asked by the member for Jagajaga. I am not going to take any further questions. She can wait until I have completed the answer to the first question she asked me.

The ready reality that the member for Jagajaga never seems to want to get is that the states and territories are actually talking to us and not to her. The states and territories are actually working in a cooperative way with us and are not interested in dealing with the member for Jagajaga. If she has a problem with her own party structures, which means that she is left out of the loop, that is a difficulty that the member for Jagajaga can overcome on her own investment and her own ability or otherwise.

What we are determined to do as a government is to recognise and to ensure that the record level of investment that we are placing directly in the hands of Australian businesses and Australian individuals—who already understand that the best way to invest in their business is to invest in training, and the best way to invest in themselves is to invest in training—is continued. If there is anything in the member for Jagajaga’s attempts at questioning to suggest that the government is planning to somehow or other alter its commitment to that, she is plain wrong, as she always is on any of the subjects associated with this broad discussion.