Jobs & Skills

A fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. That’s not too much to ask. But for too many people, it’s simply not working that way - because we've had a decade of Liberal National government that deliberately kept wages low.

Skills and training

Some employers are struggling to find enough skilled workers - from carers and cooks to electricians and early childhood educators. And Australians are feeling it. Frankly, that's what happens when you cut funding for TAFE and apprenticeships for a decade.

Our first budget is investing in 480,000 fee-free TAFE and training places to skill up more Australians for better paying jobs. And we're upgrading TAFEs so students have access to the latest facilities that'll help them learn best.

We’ve also provided funding for 20,000 additional university places for disadvantaged Australians. It’s an investment in our greatest resource: our people.

And to make sure we’re providing training in the areas employers need now and in the future, we’ve set up a new advisory body - Jobs and Skills Australia.

Secure jobs, better pay

We understand the pressure that family budgets are under. Especially in industries that are dominated by women - our cleaners, our early childhood educators, our aged care workers, our disability care workers. These are the heroes of the pandemic who deserve something more than our thanks. They deserve an increase in their wages.

That's why in our first month in office we secured a rise in the minimum wage of 5.2%, helping 2.8 million workers. And we also advocated for aged care workers to get a pay rise. As a result, the Fair Work Commission has boosted their pay by 15%.