Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to get to my feet and speak about National TAFE Day. I had the great privilege yesterday, during National TAFE Day, to look at the inaugural Australian Education Union national photography competition. I met a wonderful young Tasmanian finalist, Senara, who unfortunately does not live in my electorate of Lyons; he lives in the electorate of Franklin. He took a beautiful photograph of the Clarence campus, down there on the eastern shore of Hobart, and the aged-care facility at that campus, which is like a real-life aged-care ward—or a hospital ward—where students who are learning to be aged-care workers can get very hands-on experience. I had the privilege of touring that facility earlier this year with the minister, Brendan O'Connor, and the local member, Julie Collins—and also the Tasmanian minister, Felix Ellis, because TAFE is a jointly funded thing between the feds and the states. It was a great pleasure to meet not only Senara yesterday but also the wonderful AEU officials and educators; they are the backbone of TAFE. The educators, the ones who do the teaching, are the absolute backbone of TAFE, and the dedication they show to their profession in what has been some pretty tough times, particularly over the last decade, is really something. Hats off to all those involved in TAFE and providing a pathway for young people to get skills.

I want to briefly mention how proud I am of the government's achievements with fee-free TAFE. This is one of the signature policies of the government. Our ambition was 180,000 fee-free TAFE places by now, and we've achieved 214,000. That is the appeal of this program. We've got young people and older people going to TAFE fee free and getting a trade. For people who are undertaking a Certificate III in Individual Support, they're saving $1,150. For people undertaking a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, they're saving $1,600. For those undertaking a Certificate IV in Information Technology, they're saving $1,200. These are real savings for people. Indeed, when I visited the Clarence campus some months ago with the minister, we had an older woman there, a student, who was about to graduate. She said she would not have been undertaking that course if it were not for the fee-free status. It's making a difference to her life, but, just as importantly, it's making a difference to the people in aged care she'll be caring for once she graduates.

My congratulations, on National TAFE Day, to all involved in TAFE: the students, the educators and the union officials of the AEU. Thank you for all that you do. You do wonderful work. I'm sure you have the gratitude of every member of the House. Thank you.

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