Australian skill shortages: How the Howard government did not change its mind

This article begins by assessing the evidence that there was, and is, a skill shortage in Australia, and notes that for some years the Howard government initially denied there was a problem of unmet demand for skilled people. It was not until late 2006 that we saw any kind of official acknowledgement of a problem. On 12 October 2006, Prime Minister Howard announced a 'Skills for the Future' policy that involved a commitment to spend $837 million over five years, and aimed 'to help build a more highly skilled and responsive workforce to support Australia's long-term economic growth'. Acknowledging that policy-making begins with the framing or constitution of a problem, assessments are offered of this federal government's account of the 'skill shortage' problem. The questions posed in this article are: what policy initiatives during the Howard years were designed to address issues of training, and what was their potential for addressing the problem of an apparent shortage of skilled workers in Australia?