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's a proud graduate of Box Hill TAFE and a proud supporter of free TAFE. She knows that the Albanese government has delivered free TAFE to almost 600,000 Australians and that, by removing financial barriers, free TAFE is helping Australians to gain skills they need and to build Australia's future.

The Free TAFE Bill 2024 Senate inquiry has now received dozens of submissions highlighting the positive impact of free TAFE. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation highlighted the case of Cristy Armour, a proud Gamilaraay woman who's completed the Diploma of Nursing, and she says this:

The Fee-Free funding has been amazing, and the money I've saved will go towards paying for my Bachelor of Nursing. Plus, studying for my diploma with TAFE Queensland means I'll knock a year off my bachelor studies.

What a great story. TAFE Directors Australia shared the story of Estelle Wyllie, who's just completed a Certificate III in Individual Support at TasTAFE, and she says this:

If it wasn't for Fee Free TAFE I wouldn't have been able to do the course in the first place as I wasn't in a position to pay for training at the time.

She goes on:

It's pretty much set me up with a career.

Again, it's a great story that the members opposite should be listening to. They should also think about how much students are saving. In Victoria, a student doing a Diploma of Nursing—

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