Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I thank my friend the member for Aston for her question. She knows that the Albanese government has put public TAFE back at the centre of training. Under our government, more than half a million people have taken up the opportunity of a fee-free TAFE place. We've opened the door for Australians to get the skills they want and which our economy needs to build Australia's future, and Australians are seizing that opportunity. There have been 35,000 enrolments in construction courses, and the same number in early education. There have been 50,000 enrolments in digital technology and 130,000 in aged and disability care. There is no doubt that free TAFE is changing lives, and that is why we are locking it in.

As the Prime Minister announced in Adelaide yesterday, the Albanese Labor government will introduce legislation to establish fee-free TAFE as an enduring feature of our national vocational education and training system. This will be funding 100,000 free TAFE places a year every year from 2027. This will give certainty to students, industry, TAFEs and the community. It will help give jobseekers a fresh start. It will support more young people training for a new career and assist more older workers who are skilling up for a new opportunity. After a decade of neglect from those opposite, the Albanese government is committed to rebuilding the vocational education and training sector. Free TAFE is supporting a prosperous and equitable Australia, removing financial barriers to education and training, and delivering a coordinated response to workforce shortages. It gives Australians the confidence to study.

I met Grayson in Frankston. He's a fee-free TAFE student studying for a Certificate IV in Mental Health. This is what he told me: 'I struggled a lot in high school, and I never thought I'd study again. I was never going back to studying.' But what helped him make his decision was that the pressure of money had been removed. Not having to think about that meant that he was confident to go on to further education, and now he says he really, really loved his time in the course. I also met Cristy in Loganlea, who is studying towards a diploma of nursing. She said:

It felt like the right time to take the next step in my career, and Fee-Free TAFE is a huge help. The financial support has allowed me to focus on my studies without worrying about tuition costs.

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Nursing careers will always be in demand, and no artificial intelligence can replace the compassion and empathy nurses provide.

She urges others to take up these opportunities and she says: 'Being free is a massive bonus.' I agree with Cristy, and, as long as there is a Labor government, free TAFE is here to stay.

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