Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to speak on the Free TAFE Bill 2024. As a former TAFE student and teacher, speaking on this topic is very important to me, and is one that I care about deeply. TAFE changed my life for the better, giving me the skills I needed to pursue the jobs and career I wanted.

I entered TAFE in my mid-20s, following a number of years working as a secretary. I'd been working in the disability sector as a volunteer, working with young people. I wanted to pursue a career in youth work and community development. Chisholm TAFE gave me the opportunity to study and learn about youth work and community development in greater detail. TAFE gave me the opportunity to develop skills and confidence, to study as a young woman, and this was before it was even free. It led me to an incredible career that has led me here.

Not to show my age, but it was also just before the Liberals in Victoria gutted our TAFEs during the 1990s. Those opposite, when in government, cut $3 billion of funding from the VET system and TAFE. It's no wonder we have a skills shortage that has fed a crisis in housing and other sectors, such as the childcare education and aged-care sectors.

The Albanese Labor government values TAFE deeply. Unlike the opposition, we are committed to investing in the skills Australia needs to drive economic growth and provide secure and well-paid work for Australia. We need TAFE to help build Australia's future, a future made in Australia.

There can be no doubt that free TAFE has been a huge success. In the first 21 months of free TAFE, there have been over 600,000 enrolments. And, with this bill, free TAFE is here to stay. This legislation will establish free TAFE as an enduring feature of the national vocational education and training system, funding 100,000 free TAFE places a year from 2027. This legislation will provide ongoing certainty to students, employers and industry, as well as states and territories, and an understanding that the Commonwealth government is committed to investing in skills and TAFE. Importantly, free TAFE is supporting Australians who've experienced barriers to education, with 35,000 people with disabilities and over 30,000 First Nations Australians taking up the opportunity to study at TAFE.

Through my past work, heading up the MEGT Foundation and the Women's Spirit Project, I have mentored and coached women, to build their courage and confidence and steer them to set career goals. Their first step on this journey has been returning to education, and TAFE has been the pathway that women from MEGT and the Women's Spirit Project—those recovering from trauma and disadvantage—turn to every time because it helps them build their skills and capacity. It supports them to build their confidence and kickstart their career without struggling financially.

We need a coordinated response to the skills shortages that this country is facing. This bill ensures that free TAFE addresses workforce shortages in industries of local and national priority, helping skill up workers Australia needs for a strong economic future and a secure and sovereign future.

As everyone knows, we have a housing crisis in this country, a result of the opposition not taking action on this issue during the 10 years they were in government. The Albanese Labor government has a minister for housing and has injected $32 billion into building housing supply across the nation, the greatest investment in housing by any federal government. Central to meeting the housing crisis is having enough tradies and apprentices to build the homes that we need. Thanks to the work of the Minister for Education, we recently announced that apprentices in the construction industry—those training to be builders, electricians and plumbers—will receive a $10,000 incentive to support them to complete their apprenticeships, an innovative investment aimed at making a difference for individuals, industry and our future made in Australia.

Late last year, I had the dedicated and passionate Minister for Skills and Training in my electorate, and we visited the Chisholm TAFE. We spoke to many different students, studying everything from nursing to mental health, youth work and community services. They all spoke of how free TAFE has quite literally changed their lives by removing the financial barrier to reskilling.

In my beautiful electorate of Dunkley, over 2,000 apprentices are currently working towards a nationally accredited qualification because of free TAFE. I regularly speak to people from Dunkley, either at their door or on the phone, who want to reskill or upskill. A young person who is unsure of their future—I hear about their concerns about what to do now that they have finished VCE. I share a little of my journey with TAFE, and I talk to them about looking at TAFE courses, because TAFE is a legitimate and important pathway for young people, for women and for men wanting to reskill and upskill.

It's motivating to see how many residents are benefiting from the fantastic opportunities that this Labor government has provided. I know at least five people from my family and friendship group benefiting from free TAFE. They are studying nursing, childcare, electrical and IT courses, and the list goes on. I love catching up and hearing their enthusiasm as they talk to me about completing a subject or their course. They have a real sense of purpose that they are working towards a career and that they can afford to.

Contrary to what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition has stated—the Liberal spin—free TAFE is not undervalued just because it's free. It is, in fact, valued because it is an investment in people and their ability to have a career in the field they choose. It's also an investment in the future prosperity of Australia, a future made in Australia. I hear a lot in my local community that free TAFE is literally changing lives. That's because many in my community who may not be well-off financially or may not have done as well as they would have liked in school get the opportunity to chase their dreams with no financial barrier. Workforce shortages in critical areas shouldn't just be acknowledged; they should be acted upon. The government has a duty to act to fill the shortages, and that's exactly what the free TAFE will act to do.

This government has acted in the best interests of the country, industry and, most importantly, people wanting a career. We are working to train people in construction so we can build more homes and to train more people in nursing and childcare professions so that we have the nurses that we need in hospitals, aged-care workers and childcare educators to educate and care for our children. There is a huge risk if the Leader of the Opposition gets his hands on TAFE. The opposition has refused to back our additional free TAFE and VET places for construction, our new energy apprenticeships and the financial supports and incentives to prioritise apprentices and employers.

Last time they were in government, we saw their efforts to dismantle our TAFE and VET system. They cut $3 billion of funding from the VET system and TAFE last time they were in government. We cannot risk those opposite limiting access to vocational education and cutting off pathways for workers in essential and critical industries. We would have further cuts to vocational education if they were in government, blocking many Australians from reaching their full potential and having access to qualifications they need. This would only further exacerbate the critical skill shortages in Australia, meaning projects in housing, infrastructure and energy would be further delayed. This is not in the economic interest of our nation nor in our national interest. The Liberals don't respect our public TAFEs. They don't understand or value the importance of TAFEs in our local communities. They have shown they'll go for cheap and fast-tracked training over a well-supported and trusted VET sector with TAFE at the heart.

There is a clear choice at this election. The opposition, the Liberal and National parties, will cut free TAFE funding, and all Australians will pay more for TAFE. This government is opening doors for people with TAFE so that they can get well-paid, secure work and build their future. Under the Albanese government, free TAFE is here to stay to help build Australia's future—a future made in Australia.

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