Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Pratt, who, like so many on this side of the chamber, is a very strong supporter of training and our TAFE system. Upon the Albanese government's election last year, it was clear not only that we had inherited a $1 trillion debt from the Liberals and Nationals—and they really hate being reminded of that!—but that the opposition had also left behind a massive skills deficit, and there's one of the people responsible, Senator Cash, a former minister for skills and training, who slashed TAFE during her years in office. Not having enough skilled workers is bad for businesses, bad for productivity and bad for Australians who don't have access to the products and services they need, and Senator Cash is unrepentant for her cuts.

Anyone who's tried to do home renos lately knows how hard it is to get a builder or a tiler or sparky. I certainly know that myself. But butchers, hairdressers, IT specialists, ag and aged care workers—the list goes on. These are the skills deficits left behind by the former government, and that's why the Albanese government took urgent action upon being elected by funding 180,000 fee-free TAFE places in 2023 and more in future years. We brought together Australians, unions, employers and civil society at the Jobs and Skills Summit, we established Jobs and Skills Australia to underpin our response to current and emerging workforce needs and we created new energy apprenticeships to get more workers into the clean energy sector.

Our urgent actions are helping to address critical skills needs by expanding access to the VET sector and supporting quality training. That's good for Australians, that's good for business and that's good for our economy. The VET sector can only work to its full potential if the Commonwealth and state and territory governments work together, and that's why we're so pleased last month to see the Albanese government announce an historic agreement with every state and territory to boost investment in the Australian VET sector over the next five years. Our government is prepared to invest $12.6 billion to expand and transform access to the VET sector. We're fixing up the mess.