Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the importance of properly funding our education system. In particular, today I want to focus on the important roles of trades training centres and what a difference they have made within my electorate of Richmond. In 2013 I announced funding for a whole range of trade training centres right throughout my electorate. Federal Labor made that commitment to invest in the new trade training centres to ensure that local young people got the skills that they need to compete for the jobs of tomorrow. This of course is all in contrast to the Liberals and Nationals, who cut funding for trades training centres.

The fact is that these centres really do address skills shortages and are very important. I would like to run through some of the ones within my electorate. First of all, in 2015 we opened the Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School trades training centre. It was a very welcome addition to the Mahers Lane campus at Terranora. The former Labor government committed $1.2 million to the centre, which provides state-of-the-art facilities for students to study hospitality, food technology and IT as well. It is a great resource.

Also in 2015 we opened the St Joseph's College trade skills centre. St Joseph's College, of course, is located in Banora Point. That was $1.5 million from the former federal Labor government for that trade skills centre. It focuses on electrotechnology, hospitality and construction as well. That is a wonderful resource there.

In 2016 we opened the Kingscliff High School's trade skills centre as well. That was $975,000 from the former Labor government for a great trade skills centre which focuses on agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture. I thank the school for that great opening and for showing me how all those wonderful resources were working.

Recently I also attended the Tweed River High School trades skill centre and inspected their metals and engineering facility. I am very proud the former Labor government committed $1 million to build this outstanding facility. It really has a whole range of different metal based training. They showed us some of the great resources they had there with the class that was in place.

I would also like to make mention of Aunty Chris Morgan, who is the Tweed River High School Aboriginal education officer. Alongside the opening of their wonderful trades training centre, Aunty Chris was honoured and farewelled after 34 years of service assisting and supporting Indigenous students both at Tweed River High and in the wider community. We do acknowledge the wonderful work that she has been doing right throughout our schools. The students spoke at the time about the effort that she put into everything she did for them and the endless encouragement that she provided to all of those students. So I thank Aunty Chris for her wonderful commitment to our local schools.

Labor does have a very strong commitment to education, whether it be in our primary schools, in our high schools, in apprenticeships or at universities. Right across the board we understand the importance of that, and these trades training centres are making a massive difference in my electorate of Richmond.