Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Absolutely not. If the senator is saying, as she seems to be suggesting, that the federal government should not have invested $1.4 billion—in fact, $15 billion over the next five years—in TAFE and the vocational education and training system, then I do not agree with her. The federal government continues to make a record investment in TAFE in this country and will continue to do so.

We think the provision of skilling opportunities and of trade training opportunities for both young and other Australians is vital to the future of the country. We need a more highly skilled workforce. We need to provide more training opportunities and quality opportunities. That is what we are about. And investing in the states who run the TAFE systems is a key component of making sure we have those opportunities for young people but also that we have skilled workers to support industry. The federal government remains committed to that. We have in our agreements with the states ensured that they seek to continue to support their TAFE sectors and to make sure they support them in a more competitive environment. That was one of the provisions we put into those agreements.

What we have seen in Victoria is a scandal. They have taken $300 million out of the TAFE training system, which is seeing campuses close, students denied opportunity, students with disabilities denied access to training and many jobs lost. What we know is that the training effort in Victoria will fall as a result of these efforts. So it is important that people campaign to force the Baillieu government to turn back its cutbacks and ensure that TAFE in Victoria is funded adequately.