Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The previous speaker talked about the pressures that Australian families are under, and, just for those listening at home or out on the road, wherever you might be, consider this: his political organisation, the federal opposition, have not supported one cost measure that we've brought in, and their answer is to rail against fee-free TAFE. That's a proposition that the federal opposition under the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, are putting to you—making people pay more for their education to get the skills that our economy needs and that our young Australians and retraining Australians need. They are going to make you pay for that because somehow that's going to help with the cost of living. It's quite an extraordinary position to have.

Meanwhile, the Albanese Labor government is building the workforce required to build Australia's future. We are committed to measures that ensure we have the workforce that we need all around the country and, obviously, most importantly to me, in the Northern Territory, in Darwin and Palmerston. Just as TAFE is a proudly Australian story, it is also a key to a better future and to a whole world of opportunities. It opens doors and gives Australians one of the greatest opportunities they have not just to fulfil their potential but to expand their potential and, in doing so, expand what we're able to produce and achieve in this great nation.

It's a homegrown solution to the skills gap that is hampering the business that those opposite purport to want to support. It's also a homegrown solution to the skills gap that is hurting our economy. It is true that the Albanese Labor government has delivered two budget surpluses, when those opposite weren't able to do that in almost a decade. However, we understand that the economy is still under a range of pressures. What we need in our nation, and what we are doing, is getting the balance right by getting TAFE right. It means we'll be better placed to get the future right. That's why our government is taking our commitment to free TAFE a crucial step further by making it permanent.

Those opposite, as they've finally admitted, don't like fee-free TAFE. They want people to pay for it, and that would put another barrier in front of young Australians who want to enter the workforce and start their working lives. It would put another barrier in front of retraining Australians who want to reskill and retrain to start working in a different industry. That's the danger with those opposite.

Our government, the Albanese government, is committed to working with the states and territories to strengthen the VET sector to ensure it can deliver the quality education that Australians deserve, the education we need to build the Northern Territory's future and our nation's future.

Those opposite neglected the sector for years—for almost a decade, as I've said—and that has compounded the effects of the COVID pandemic with skills shortages, concerningly, in nationally critical industries. But we are addressing these shortages to ensure that we have the workforce that is needed.

The Albanese Labor government is delivering fee-free TAFE to address our workforce shortages. Fee-free TAFE has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australians, particularly those in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, providing cost-of-living relief as well as that pathway to a well-paid, secure job. That's good for families and good for the whole nation.

We're also focusing on training for places in areas of high demand, providing access to priority cohorts including those vulnerable constituents that I mentioned. We are supporting students by removing those financial barriers to study. Delivering skills needed to address our workforce shortages is top of mind for our government. We're delivering the workforce that business needs to build Australia for a more secure and more prosperous future.

See this speech in context