Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Tonight I want to talk to the Senate in relation to the green skills centre in Newnham, Launceston, in my home state. The Tasmanian Skills Institute has been in operation since 1 January 2009 as a training provider, emerging from TAFE Tasmania as part of the Tasmanian government's reform of the post-secondary education sector.

The Skills Institute's Green Skills Centre of Excellence was officially opened at the Alanvale training facility in Launceston on 22 July this year, although it began operating two months prior to the official opening and many of the employer clients have appreciated the potential benefits they can bring to their business by training their employees through this facility.

The Skills Institute is an experienced registered training organisation with around 400 employees operating from eight major training hubs in trade and technical training across Tasmania. The Skills Institute is dedicated to workforce development in partnership with employers. The client group of the Skills Institute is employers and their employees. This client group has differing needs and expectations from the traditional TAFE student group, who attend a campus of their own volition.

The federal government provided $6.4 million under the Training Infrastructure Investment for Tomorrow element of the Teaching and Learning Capital Fund for Vocational Education and Training to build the centre, and what a magnificent facility it is. The state government, through the Skills Institute, contributed $750,000 towards the cost of the facility, bringing the total investment to $7.15 million.

The Green Skills Centre of Excellence project provides a state-of-the-art, Green Star rated training facility for a combination of construction, allied trades, joinery and furnishings trades. The centre has been built to the latest technology standards and is in line with the National VET Sector Sustainability Policy and Action Plan 2009-2012. The project introduces and implements green technology not only in the infrastructure and fabric of the new building but also in the training programs delivered, which in turn influence attitudes and work practices in industry.

A highlight is the purchase of $650,000 worth of state-of-the-art woodworking machines, including a five-axis computer controlled work centre believed to be the first of its kind in the state. This means furniture trades apprentices now have access to machinery that is at the cutting edge of technology. Prior to this new facility being built, training facilities operated from a post World War II textile factory on the fringe of the Launceston CBD, with its most recent modifications carried out 30 years ago.

I would now like to turn to Scottsdale, which is in the north-eastern region of Tasmania and the centre of the Dorset region, which is approximately an hour north-east of Launceston. The region has been affected over the last eight years or so by downturns in the food industries and it has also been affected by the downturn in the forestry industry in Tasmania. The recently announced forestry agreement between the federal and state governments will assist in dealing with the effects of change within that industry. It would be very easy to believe that this community is depressed, downhearted and waiting for handouts. However, in my recent visits to the community, this is not what I found; in fact quite the reverse.

I visited the Dorset men's shed. As we all know, unlike women, most men are reluctant to talk about their emotions and that means that they usually do not ask for help. Probably because of this many men tend to be less healthy than women, they sometimes drink more, they take more risks and they suffer more from isolation, loneliness and depression. Relationship breakdowns, retrenchment or early retirement, loss of children following divorce, physical or mental illness are just some of the problems that men find hard to deal with on their own.

A good men's shed must have a good coordinator and the Dorset men's shed has one of those individuals. He has both the technical and the social skills to help develop a safe and happy environment, where men are welcome to work on a project of their choice in their own time, and where the only thing they must do is observe safe working practices.

The Dorset men's shed is one of more than 30 men's sheds in Tasmania—and there are more than 500 across Australia. The numbers attending and the range of activities are impressive. Women are also attending some of the projects, and I witnessed some women at the leadlighting course and making things for their own homes. Local charities are also benefiting from the timber and metal items produced by the men's shed. The quality and range of articles produced for the annual challenge event is astonishing. This year's challenge was no exception, with many outstanding pieces of woodwork—dining settings, chessboards and lazy Susans, just to name a few.

When I go to the north-east, I like to visit as many places as I can, including the high schools. But I also visited Aminya, which is a small nursing home on the edge of Scottsdale that is managed by Presbyterian Care. Like other organisations in Scottsdale, the facility continues to be improved. The recent internal modifications are excellent and it is an outstanding facility. They have plans to extend and are one of the big employers in that region, which is very important.

More importantly, a community relies a great deal on their local council. The Dorset Council have been dealing with the challenges that the forestry industry have been going through. When I met with the general manager and the mayor, I was impressed by how positive they were about the future of their municipality. They talked about the benefits of the National Broadband Network. They talked about how businesses have moved from interstate and are being managed out of Scottsdale because of the NBN. They talked about their ongoing plans for the future development of tourism in the area. They talked about health services. Whether you talk about health, whether you talk about tourism or whether you talk about education, they will all benefit from the rollout of the National Broadband Network.

The Dorset Trade Training Centre, which is part of the Tasmanian Polytechnic, is another wonderful initiative. The sorts of subjects covered at the Polytechnic include primary industry and infra­structure, tourism and hospitality, health and wellbeing, build­ing and construction, childcare and com­munity services, and business. The Dorset Trade Training Centre was only officially opened late last year, but it already has a fantastic network because of the people working there. They are locals who know the networks, have a great working relationship with the men's shed and are working with the local high school. When I spoke to the young people who were doing courses such as carpentry or working on car engines, I found they were all enthusiastic. These young people see this as a great opportunity to help them on their way to a successful future.

Whether at the aged-care facility, the high school, the trade training centre, the men's shed or a meeting with the mayor and the general manager of the Dorset Council, their overall attitude was not about wanting a handout; it was about a helping hand. They have plans for their future. It is a lovely environment and it was refreshing to visit them all. They typify the Tasmanian spirit and can-do attitude. They reinforced once again what a huge benefit the National Broadband Network has been to the area, and having visited other areas in Tasmania I know how important it is for Tasmania generally.

I do not have much time tonight, but I do want to touch on one other area that I have been involved in. One of the great delights during this winter recess has been to attend a number of Building the Education Revolu­tion openings. At the Invermay Primary School, a school which was built in 1889, you could see how it has been transformed and the benefits that has brought to the Invermay community. At St Finbar's Catholic primary school you could see how innovative they have been with their redevelopment. At the East Launceston Primary School, a school that has been established for many, many decades, you could see how they have really benefited from this investment into the future of our young people.