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

The member for Riverina is a good fella, but, if this housing and fee-free TAFE legislation doesn't pass, it's because those opposite don't want to see it pass, for obvious reasons. It's a good thing, and they don't want us to have a win for workforce. They don't want us to have a win for cost of living, which is why they haven't supported one single cost-of-living measure that we have managed to get through the parliament.

A strong vocational education and training sector is absolutely critical to ensuring that Territorians and all Australians, can get a secure and well paid job and, if you are a business owner, absolutely critical to making sure that you are getting the skilled workforce that you need. We have been investing in the skills that the Territory needs and that our nation needs by making fee-free TAFE permanent for young Territorians and young Australians but also for those who are retraining, perhaps for a new career or an advancement later in life.

This not only helps relieve cost-of-living pressures, as I just mentioned; it's also vital for us to secure our sovereignty and to build our future through building the skills that we need. Last month, my colleague, the Minister for Skills and Training, came up to Darwin and saw firsthand how fee-free TAFE is benefiting young Territorians in my electorate. We visited the Renewable Energy Microgrid Hub for Applied Research and Training, otherwise known as REMHART, down at East Arnhem, which is part of Charles Darwin University. It's an innovation hub for renewable energy systems that will be training and developing a Territory workforce that is equipped with the practical skills that are absolutely essential for a net zero transformation and, frankly, for turning the Northern Territory and Australia—mainly northern Australia—into a renewable energy superpower. This should be our future.

I acknowledge the work, as I have before in this place, of Professor Suresh Thennadil and his team at REMHART. We plan to develop a Renewable Energy Centre of Excellence at CDU based on REMHART—but growing it—that brings together Charles Darwin University, industry and the Electrical Trades Union into a powerful collaboration to drive skilled jobs across the Northern Territory in the renewable sector.

Our government is committed to investing in the skills Australia needs to drive economic growth and is delivering a VET system to deliver these skills. So many of the occupations in demand across Australia have direct VET pathways, and that knowledge, acquisition, education and training is a big part of the answer to the skills shortage question. Another part is making sure everyone can access top-quality education. A high-quality, world-class VET system is vital to responding to the challenges facing, and seizing the opportunities shaping, Australia's society, economy and environment—for example, a renewable energy future and a sustainable environment.

The reality is that you can't have a strong VET sector without strong TAFEs. This is why the Albanese Labor government is investing in fee-free TAFE.    Fee-free TAFE is particularly benefitting Australians from priority cohorts, with over 170,000 young Australians—124,000 jobseekers and 30,000 First Australians—enrolling in the program. The Albanese government's 2024-25 budget delivers $600 million in some of these measures. I acknowledge all of those who were successful in winning the awards that were spoken about previously. It's really important that we grow our workforce and it is really important to mention and acknowledge all of those who are making this a reality. It's going to be so important for our future.

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