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

Thank you, President, for the reminder. In 2023, already over 214,000 Australians have enrolled in fee-free TAFE, smashing our target of 180,000 places six months earlier than anticipated. That tells you something about the amount of pent-up demand that there was in the training system after 10 years of the coalition government and their cuts to the training sector. And, importantly, these enrolments are in areas of high priority, and they are saving Australians money.

Our fee-free TAFE places is one of the many steps the Albanese government is taking to assist Australians with cost-of-living pressures. In New South Wales, a student studying a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care could save almost $5,000 over the life of their course. While someone from Victoria studying a Diploma of Nursing could save over $15,000.

But you'll be shocked to hear that not everyone supports fee-free TAFE. While the Prime Minister continues to visit TAFEs around the country, the opposition leader still hasn't said the word 'TAFE' in parliament since 2004. Peter Dutton is all about saying 'no', including to fee-free TAFE.