My son got a new phone. The Telstra guy skipped over the set up. Now he wants his iPad apps to be transferred to his iPhone. He has an iCloud but it doesn’t seem to sync

Hello TransferquestionJFS,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities!

We want to help you get the apps transferred to his new iPhone.

We see you viewed the Apple Support page for Use iCloud to transfer data from your previous iOS or iPadOS device to your new iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

We want to make sure you were able to complete the steps from the Apple Support page, as the apps should have transferred as well:

"How to transfer your iCloud backup to your new device

1. Turn on your new device. A "Hello" screen should appear. If you've already set up your new device, you need to erase it before you can use these steps.* 
2. Follow the steps until you see the Wi-Fi screen.
3. Tap a Wi-Fi network to join. Follow the steps until you see the Apps & Data screen, then tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
4. Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID and password. 
5. When asked, choose a backup. Make sure that it's the correct one by checking the date and size of each. Learn what to do if you're asked to update to a newer version of iOS or iPadOS.
6. If you purchased iTunes or App Store content using multiple Apple IDs, sign in to each. If you can't remember the passwords, you can skip this step by tapping "Don't have an Apple ID or forgot it." 
7. Stay connected and wait for the restore process to finish, then complete the rest of the onscreen setup steps. If possible, keep your device connected to Wi-Fi and plugged into power after setup. This allows content like your photos, music, and apps stored in iCloud to automatically download back to your device."

If you do need to download the apps again, use the steps here:

"How to redownload apps on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the App Store app.
2. Tap the sign-in button  or your photo at the top of the screen.
3. Tap Purchased.
4. If you use Family Sharing, tap My Purchases or choose a family member’s name to see content that they purchased.
5. Tap "Not on this [device]."
6. Find the app that you want to download, then tap the download button .

Learn what to do if you can't redownload the app. If you can't find the app on your device, use the App Library to find the app."

Explained here: Redownload apps and games from Apple - Apple Support

We hope this helps to restore from the backup or to download the apps individually if needed to resolve the issue.

Cheers!