Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and acknowledge her service. Last week I attended the Regency Park campus of TAFE SA, where the government made announcements about a couple of new programs in training, which included more apprentices for AUKUS. This was the next step in a set of policies which was really underpinned by the announcement that the Prime Minister made three weeks ago that, under an Albanese government, free TAFE will be an enduring feature of Australia's educational system—a hundred thousand free TAFE places each and every year from 2027. And already, since we've come to power, 500,000 Australians have taken up the opportunity of free TAFE, and that includes 35,000 in construction and 49,000 in IT. This is accessible education which is generating skills, which is transforming lives, which is building our nation's economy and which is making Australia smarter.

But, according to the Leader of the Opposition, all of that is just a waste. Perhaps we should not be surprised, because the Leader of the Opposition has opposed all of our cost-of-living measures, including free TAFE. He said no to energy bill relief twice, he said no to more affordable childcare, he said no to cheaper medicines and he said no to increases in the minimum wage.

What is more surprising is that this Leader of the Opposition is teaming up with the other Leader of the Opposition in this chamber, the leader of the Greens political party, and the two of them are having quite the love affair. Off in the Senate, they have worked together to oppose the building of more social housing, they've worked together to oppose a more-business-responsive environmental protection agency and, last night, they worked together to oppose caps on international students. The Liberals and the Greens are working together on immigration. These two are holding hands, walking off into the sunset. They have completely abandoned everything they believe in and they are cooperating simply to maximise the political damage to our country.

Every Australian should be clear that, if you vote Liberal or if you vote Greens, here in Canberra it's just the one team, and all those parties over there are utterly committed to their own self-interest.

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