Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about an exciting new facility that I recently had the pleasure of opening in Launceston in my electorate of Bass—the the Tasmanian Polytechnic's Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Training Centre. This was a very significant project for the electorate, with the Australian Labor government committing more than $5.8 million towards its completion from the Teaching and Learning Capital Fund. The completed works will provide Tasmanian Polytechnic and Northern Tasmania with a new facility that supports trainees to become part of a highly skilled workforce of tomorrow.

The Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Training Centre is designed to meet the needs of the growing tourism and hospitality industry in Northern Tasmania. The centre will promote growth of the food industry by supporting highly trained students to take up hospitality and tourism industry jobs as well as creating a better community understanding of the link between food and wellbeing. The new training facility will be of considerable benefit to the industry as it addresses skills shortages by providing students with relevant training in a timely manner.

The new facilities at the Tasmanian Polytechnic will enhance the training capacity at this facility and will benefit over 450 students. The centre includes nods to the building's past as a jail with areas displaying the original stone wall and has excellent use of natural lighting throughout the facility in contrast to the old classrooms, which were the old LGH kitchens. There are several varieties of espresso machines for students to work on in the classroom, ensuring that they can quickly adapt to any cafe work environment. The kitchen classrooms back onto functional commercial kitchens, which are put to use every Thursday night and open to the public.

Through this project, the Tasmanian Polytechnic is better placed to support the local industry and meet the specific needs of the region. The centre is home to an eclectic mix of students from various walks of life ranging from students of St Patrick's College and Launceston Church Grammar School participating in the 'Taste of Polytechnic' or TOPS course to older students returning from the workforce in order to further their education. It is a great benefit to the community to have an organisation that meets the critical local industry and business needs.

One of my daughters, Bianca, trained in Tasmania and I have since witnessed her managing a tavern in Western Australian where she single-handedly catered for nearly 300 people with an a la carte menu. She used the skills she acquired by studying at the Tasmanian Polytechnic which are a great asset to her in her working life. This project is an excellent example of what can be achieved by governments and industry working in partnership. It is also proof of how the government's investment in VET infrastructure is helping improve training facilities across the country. As I mentioned earlier, the money for this project came from our teaching and learning capital fund. This fund provides eligible VET providers with the dollars to modernise or build new trade training centres. Over the last two years the government has invested $500 million in training and skills infrastructure projects through this fund, the $500 million being committed to community training providers that offer job-ready accreditation, vocational education and training.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential and make a productive contribution to society. That is why the government is committed to improving the quality of our VET sector and ensuring graduates have the skills they need to support a strong economy. That is why we have invested $3 billion in skills training initiatives in this year's budget.

It was great to be able to meet with teachers and students at the opening. They were thrilled with the new learning environment. I am sure that both teachers and students will thoroughly enjoy making the most of this facility. I have nothing but praise for the Tasmanian Polytechnic and the way it has used the funding to offer better education to the people of northern Tasmania, and I was thrilled to officially open the building. I also congratulate them on supporting the Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust and their Melbourne Cup function.