Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to share a story of Claire from Ryde which tells us exactly what Labor's free TAFE program is all about. Claire has spent years in an industry she's fallen out of love with, but she stayed there because she had to pay her bills and provide for her family. She's wanted to change jobs for a while, but the cost of reskilling was a barrier for her, because not everyone has a couple of thousand dollars laying around. That's where Labor governments come in. Thanks to our commitment to working families and to addressing skills shortages, Claire has enrolled in a free TAFE course. She is now building new skills and setting her insights on starting a small business in her new profession. And she's not alone: over 500,000 Aussies have enrolled in fee-free TAFE, and we want to make that permanent. Free TAFE means more people like Claire, no matter their background, can access better wages and reskill. Under Labor, we want Claire to reskill, to earn more and to keep more of what she earns.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.