Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

It is important today that I rise to talk on the report from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment inquiry into TAFE and its operations, which was recently tabled by the committee. I am pleased that you are in the chair, Deputy Speaker Jones, as the chair of that committee and having worked very hard, along with all the other members on the inquiry, to provide a report that highlights the importance of TAFE.

Through the committee's inquiry we heard that TAFE is indeed an important public institution, a longstanding entity in many communities around the country that not only educates school leavers, job seekers and those looking for a career change but also provides important opportunities to get vocational educational, hands-on training and actively gives back to the community. The importance of TAFE was echoed throughout the inquiry, whether that be from students, interest groups, industries, universities and the wider Australian community. Indeed, it was recognised that TAFE plays a critical role as Australia's principal public provider of vocational education and training. Its importance in this context cannot be overstated.

The affordability and accessibility of TAFE were important elements brought up in the inquiry. TAFE underpins the vocational education and training sectors across Australia. We heard about how important it is that people can get access to this type of training and that it is done in an affordable way. TAFE's strength as a significant not-for-profit public entity charged with educating and instilling skills and trades in our young people offers great hope for the long-term sustainability of TAFE. In a vocational education landscape, when there is a varying level of quality provided, from very good quality to concerns around quality, TAFE did stand out as being one brand that people can trust.

TAFE did actually stand out as being one brand that people could trust. I have certainly seen that firsthand in my electorate of Kingston through the work done at the Noarlunga campus of the TAFE South Australia network. Indeed, we are seeing a new TAFE campus being built just outside my electorate at the old Mitsubishi site, which will also service my electorate very well. I have done a number of tours to see the good work that has been done there.

TAFE plays an important role in the lives of a cross-section of our community. I think what was really emphasised during the report was how important it is for school leavers, adult re-entry, Australians looking to upskill themselves in the hope of a career change and those from migrant communities who use TAFE to strengthen and refresh their skills within an Australian education framework.

Also, it needs to be recognised that TAFE plays an important role in assisting students struggling with literacy and numeracy. If you look at any opportunities in the job market, those who do not have literacy and numeracy skills will inevitably be left behind. They will be left behind and locked out of the job market. It is an area in which TAFE does particularly well. It is probably not a profitable area, but it is one that is so essential to our community if we are going to ensure that those most vulnerable are not locked out of the job market.

Also, we heard that prospective employers are looking for people with vocational education qualifications but also, importantly, connections with industry. That was something that came out of that report. It is certainly something that the community looked at—making sure that we continue to encourage TAFE to partner with industry to ensure that it continues to deliver the skills that are required, especially in a changing job market.

Getting back to looking at what TAFE does, it also clearly helps fill the void when there are skills gaps. That is really important, especially when you are looking at a situation where an industry or a workforce might have to readjust. Something that occurred near my electorate was the closure of Mitsubishi. That was a very difficult time. It will continue to be a difficult time in the automotive industry as we see Holden leave Australia and then Ford, Toyota and all the parts manufacturers that are associated with this industry. TAFE has a critical role to play in helping those individuals transition into new jobs. Without that training, we will not be able to ensure that employees transition with new skills.

I think it was recognised in the inquiry that the private sector will not necessarily fill that gap. When we see whole communities going through a transition such as the closure of massive amounts of manufacturing, we will not necessarily see private training providers filling that void. It is so critical that our public provider is able to step in, retrain and reskill these workers who are looking down the barrel of redundancy. It was certainly echoed that this is not only important somewhere like Adelaide but also very important in rural and regional areas that are seeing quite a significant transition. I think that is really important to recognise as well.

The community report references several key recommendations. I believe, if they are adopted, they will improve the longevity and prosperity of TAFE as Australia's chief vocational education provider. Firstly, there is a recommendation that the government should, through the Council of Australian Governments, make a value statement comprehensively defining the role of TAFE within the vocational education and training sector together with its future direction in the competitive training market from a national perspective. I think the statement should also acknowledge that the affordability and accessibility of the training market is underpinned by a strong public sector provider. And it should acknowledge TAFE's ability as the majority, significant not-for-profit public provider.

It was very important that we recognised that TAFE should set a benchmark for prices. It should provide support for regions and industries in transition. It should sustain investment in skills development for new, innovative and emerging industries. It should have a range of job readiness courses, particularly around language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills. It should provide—for mature age and early school leavers—access to pathway qualifications, where this is the most appropriate pathway to employment. And it should be a strongly government backed institution that can attract strong support in the education markets in Australia.

Some of the other recommendations include that the government should address ongoing concerns regarding the highly variable quality and depth of training provided, and that the government—in its discussions with states and territories regarding the impact of current funding arrangements on TAFE provisions of pathways to employment—also raises the impact of these arrangements on TAFE provisions of pathways to tertiary education or higher level studies. There were a number of other recommendations but I am going to run out of time so I encourage everyone to read those recommendations. I certainly encourage the government to seriously consider the bipartisan report that came out.

I have to take this opportunity to thank the secretariat, the chair and the deputy chair for the work that they did. I also thank the committee that worked very constructively to put this report together and to hear the evidence right around the country. I was appointed to the committee a little later, and I know that the committee put extensive work in, listening to communities around the country. It is a good example of what can be done in a bipartisan way to investigate and put some very sensible recommendations to government.

I certainly commend the report to the House. I recommend that you have a read of it. I congratulate all those involved.

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