“Tools for Your Trade payments will be delivered as five tax-exempt cash payments totalling up to $5500 over the life of the Australian Apprenticeship.
Australian Apprentices will become eligible for payments when the relevant milestone is reached. For eligible Australian Apprentices who commence or recommence their Australian Apprenticeship on or after 1 January 2009, payments will be made”
Under changes proposed in the 2014 Federal Budget, the Tools for Your Trade incentive scheme has been scrapped.
You will no longer be eligible to receive any payments due after 1 July 2014. The Government has chosen to default on this agreement.
In its place the Government has proposed Trade Support Loans. Instead of providing incentives to Apprentices, the Government wants to encourage this low income earning group to take on up to $20,000 in debt. The loan becomes repayable once the loan recipient’s income reaches the income repayment threshold, similar to repayment thresholds for the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP).
If you believe the Government should honour the Tools for Trade payments for any Apprentice signed up between 1 January 2009 and May 13 2014, as per the agreement, please sign this petition and pass it on.
Apprentices represent a large and extremely important sector of the Australian workforce.
Stand up as an Apprentice, or as a supporter of our rights and help make our voice heard.
Updates
June 3, 2014
The feedback from those affected by these broken promises continues to reveal the financial strain placed on apprentices across the country. I am currently coordinating with relevant industry bodies to ensure our objective remains in front of the appropriate officials.
June 3, 2014
The response to this petition confirms that many individuals recognize the importance of holding the government to its original commitments. This momentum demonstrates that we are not willing to accept the replacement of promised incentives with unnecessary debt.
6 Comments
RIDICULOUS. Apprentices are already struggling as it is without adding 20k of debt on top of our heads. Put the money back.
A deal is a deal. Government should be ashamed of themselves for acting like this.
They promised us this money when we signed the contract. Cant just change the rules halfway through because they want to cut costs. Pay up.
My partner is an apprentice and this is just unfair. We relied on that cash for tools and now they want us to take out a loan? What a absolute joke.
Seriously? I counted on those milestones to pay for my gear. This is really gonna hurt a lot of young tradies who are just starting out.
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“Tools for Your Trade payments will be delivered as five tax-exempt cash payments totalling up to $5500 over the life of the Australian Apprenticeship.
Australian Apprentices will become eligible for payments when the relevant milestone is reached. For eligible Australian Apprentices who commence or recommence their Australian Apprenticeship on or after 1 January 2009, payments will be made”
Under changes proposed in the 2014 Federal Budget, the Tools for Your Trade incentive scheme has been scrapped.
You will no longer be eligible to receive any payments due after 1 July 2014. The Government has chosen to default on this agreement.
In its place the Government has proposed Trade Support Loans. Instead of providing incentives to Apprentices, the Government wants to encourage this low income earning group to take on up to $20,000 in debt. The loan becomes repayable once the loan recipient’s income reaches the income repayment threshold, similar to repayment thresholds for the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP).
If you believe the Government should honour the Tools for Trade payments for any Apprentice signed up between 1 January 2009 and May 13 2014, as per the agreement, please sign this petition and pass it on.
Apprentices represent a large and extremely important sector of the Australian workforce.
Stand up as an Apprentice, or as a supporter of our rights and help make our voice heard.
Updates
June 3, 2014
The feedback from those affected by these broken promises continues to reveal the financial strain placed on apprentices across the country. I am currently coordinating with relevant industry bodies to ensure our objective remains in front of the appropriate officials.
June 3, 2014
The response to this petition confirms that many individuals recognize the importance of holding the government to its original commitments. This momentum demonstrates that we are not willing to accept the replacement of promised incentives with unnecessary debt.
6 Comments
Honour the agreement. We signed up based on what they told us back in 2012. Not cool.
RIDICULOUS. Apprentices are already struggling as it is without adding 20k of debt on top of our heads. Put the money back.
A deal is a deal. Government should be ashamed of themselves for acting like this.
They promised us this money when we signed the contract. Cant just change the rules halfway through because they want to cut costs. Pay up.
My partner is an apprentice and this is just unfair. We relied on that cash for tools and now they want us to take out a loan? What a absolute joke.
Seriously? I counted on those milestones to pay for my gear. This is really gonna hurt a lot of young tradies who are just starting out.
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Honour the agreement. We signed up based on what they told us back in 2012. Not cool.