Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to respond on the matter of public importance raised by the member for Adelaide. In 10 minutes of invective, nastiness, political jargon and rhetoric, the member for Adelaide has not brought to this parliament the real world experience of the trades and of training; she has not mentioned a single apprentice; she has not talked about a single RTO or the work that TAFE does; she has not understood. It is simply pure political rhetoric.

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

I do want to address this matter of public importance in a sensible manner, in a way that looks at the issues that we are all facing in the country today, but I will start with the trade training centres because this is what is being thrown across the table at me.

In 2007, Labor committed to $2.5 billion for trade training centres in every single one of Australia's 2,650 secondary schools. Who can forget Kevin Rudd standing at this dispatch box saying: 'Every single school will have a trade training centre. There will be trade training, redeveloped, redefined, remade and remodelled in every single school in Australia.'

Ms Macklin interjecting—

See this speech in context