Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today is National TAFE Day. It is a day to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of TAFE students, teachers, trainers and support staff across the country and to acknowledge the important contribution that TAFE makes to our communities and our nation. I'm proud to have Holmesglen Institute of TAFE campuses in my electorate and Box Hill Institute of TAFE servicing my terrific community in Chisholm. I love visiting, seeing what students are learning, and hearing about their plans for the future in sectors as diverse as tunnelling, floristry, early childhood education, cookery, electrical trades, construction and so many more. I recently had the honour of launching National Skills Week in Victoria. It was wonderful to be able to use National Skills Week as an opportunity to talk about the importance of vocational education and training and TAFE.

The TAFE and VET sector is one of our greatest national assets. It's vital that we address the worst skills shortages facing this country in decades, through the education that TAFE and VET can provide. Our government is putting TAFE back at the heart of Australia's vocational sector, after a decade of neglect by the previous government. We've smashed our target of 180,000 enrolments in fee-free TAFE in the first six months, with almost 215,000 people enrolled in a fee-free course. I'm so proud to support TAFE, today and every day.

See this speech in context