Albanese plans cash boost for apprentice tradies amid doubts over Labor housing target
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PM to promise $10,000 payments to keep young people in construction as cost of living blamed for a shortfall in builders. Apprentice tradies stand to get an extra $10,000 from a re-elected Labor government as Anthony Albanese tries to encourage more young people into construction to help build the 1.2m homes he promised by 2030.
The prime minister will make the $626m promise at the National Press Club on Friday, in his first major speech for the year which will set out Labor’s re-election bid. In a speech expected to focus heavily on skills, infrastructure and cost of living relief, Albanese will commit to better supporting apprentices to finish their training rather than quit for better-paying jobs.
“We recognise the next generation of tradies, the people we’re counting on to build the new homes we need, are under significant financial pressure,” he will tell the press club in Canberra. “As a number of apprentices have said, they could earn a lot more stacking shelves in their local supermarket. Too many leave training because they can’t afford to stay.”.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email. Albanese and the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, have both kicked off the election year at a cracking pace, criss-crossing the country with major policy announcements and visits to key electoral battlegrounds.
