Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia—Assistant Minister for Education and Training) (14:49): I thank Senator Ruston for that question on the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network, which represents a profound shift in the way government provides support and assistance to employers and apprentices in Australia to drive a boost and lift in the completion rate of apprenticeships around Australia. Our government will from now on invest around $200 million per annum to train, retain and attract quality apprentices and support them through the life of their apprenticeship. Last month I announced 11 successful tenderers to deliver on the support network, and those companies will provide support and assistance from precommencement services of apprenticeships right through to apprenticeship completion. New precommencement services, including screening, testing and job matching, will be available to targeted clients to get the right apprentice in the right apprenticeship with the right employer. New training support services such as mentoring will help apprentices and employers at risk of not completing the apprenticeship arrangement to work through their issues and their difficulties. Senator Cameron: Oh, there's a new idea! Senator BIRMINGHAM: Indeed, Senator Cameron, it is a new idea, and we are very pleased to be delivering on it, just as we will help those who may be unsuited to an apprenticeship to have the support to be identified and directed into alternative VET pathways. Completions of apprenticeships have hovered at around just 50 per cent for far too long. Under Labor's old model of supporting apprenticeships, only around 50 per cent of those who started an apprenticeship completed the apprenticeship. Our determination through this network is to drive an improvement in completion rates. At the heart of that are the improved services and a new, outcomes based payment structure that will ensure that those we have tendered are actually encouraged to provide the right support to both apprentices and employers. (Time expired)