Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I am incredibly proud to rise today in support of free TAFE and the Free TAFE Bill, which is before the parliament at the moment. I was in a taxi recently, and I did what I often do as a litmus test. I asked the taxidriver what he knows about the Labor government, the Albanese Labor government. I asked: what good thing does he know has come from this government? Before hesitating, without even thinking, he said to me, 'Free TAFE.' It was in his consciousness, and that taxidriver knew that this was a good thing, that people in his taxi talked about it and it is something that this government is delivering. This bill is about opportunity. It's about equality. It's about ambition. It's about building a stronger Australia, one where education is accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford it. We know that education is the foundation of a strong economy. Over the next decade, nine in 10 new jobs will require post-secondary education and half of them will require vocational education and training. That means we need a strong, well-funded TAFE system.

We in the Albanese Labor government strongly believe in uplifting Australia's workforce through TAFE. We believe in public education and giving people the skills they need to succeed, to leave intergenerational poverty, to have opportunity. It sounds corny, I know, but so many people have said to me it means they can reach for their dreams. We believe in backing our world-class TAFEs to train the workforce of the future. That side, as we heard from the previous speaker, only believes in the private sector. But this bill does so much more than offer someone a profit. It cements the Albanese Labor government's commitment to free TAFE, making it a permanent feature in Australia's education system. It locks in funding and ensures that states and territories can continue to deliver the skills training we so desperately need. The bill underpins our government's commitment to funding at least 100,000 free TAFE places a year from 2027. I'd like to commend the previous minister for skills and training, Brendan O'Connor, and of course the current minister, Andrew Giles, for leading this incredibly important initiative. These initiatives are in contrast to what the coalition oversaw in their term of government—a VET sector that was thrown into neglect and fracture, one that led Australia into its biggest skills shortage in 50 years and the second-biggest skills shortage in the OECD. The cost of not investing in TAFE is too high. If we don't, businesses will struggle to find skilled workers. Essential industries like health care, construction, early childhood education and care, and clean energy will face crippling staff shortages, and too many Australians will be locked out of the training they need to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Australians deserve opportunities, and they deserve to dream. I know what education has meant for me. Deputy Speaker, given how spritely I look, it might surprise you to know I've had other careers before politics.

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