The Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA) has welcomed a federal government move to bring in an independent consultant to review vocational education, and says it will be making a submission.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash announced last week that Steven Joyce, a former NZ minister for tertiary education, skills and employment will conduct the review to ensure Australians have the right skills to succeed in a changing labour market.

Joyce was behind a series of significant reforms to the apprenticeship and industry training system in New Zealand, and one of the most senior ministers in John Key’s government.

PIAA chief executive officer Andrew Macaulay was in Canberra last week where he met with crossbenchers David Leyonhjelm and Pauline Hanson to discuss key issues of energy supply and price, tax reform and vocational training.

“It’s fantastic news that the government has announced they are going to hire the former NZ minister that led the (vocational education) reform there, and that they are going to bring him in as an independent consultant to look at a review,” Macaulay said.

“We are delighted with that and we will be making a submission along those lines.”

Macaulay said his visit to Canberra, which also included a dinner attended by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, was productive and that he is continuing to impress the need for government reforms to ease the business conditions for Australia’s printers.

“They are both very supportive and we had a good engagement with both of them. We have been building a relationship over the last two years and they are aware of the issues of the print and packaging industry,” he said.

“They are also very supportive of small to medium sized enterprises, which makes 80 per cent of this industry.”

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