Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to commend the Victorian state member for Melton and the Victorian government, who recently committed $45 million to build a TAFE in Melton, in my electorate of Hawke and, indeed, in my good friend the member for Hunter's home town—where he grew up. Melton is one of Victoria's, if not Australia's, fastest growing suburbs, with a population forecast to grow to over 450,000 by 2051. With over half the population under the age of 35, the federal and state Labor governments are wasting no time in delivering the infrastructure and services the growing community needs. Road upgrades, school upgrades, new hospitals—there's plenty happening in our community. That's why it's so important that the Victorian Labor government will deliver a new TAFE campus in Melton with a focus on meeting the demand for construction skills training, amongst others. The new campus will support approximately 600 new students, with construction set to commence in 2024.

Those opposite like to claim that they are a party who believe that, in the words of the former prime minister and member for Cook, 'If you have a go, you get a go.' But the people of Melton have been having a red-hot go for the last decade, while the Liberals dudded them on physical and social infrastructure. The people of Melton and people right around our country know that it is only Labor governments that meaningfully invest in education, skills and training.

Just this afternoon, the member for Longman, gentleman and scholar that he is—who, I may say, is the quintessential example of the Liberal Party being the place that very moderately successful business families send their dopey sons—made a rambling contribution to the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill debate.

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