Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Grogan, who I know is a very strong supporter of TAFE and the free TAFE program that our government is putting forward. The Albanese Labor government know that Australians are doing it tough right now, and that's why our economic plan is all about helping people with the cost of living while also driving down inflation. A key part of our cost-of-living support is helping more Australians access high-quality training for free so that they can get secure, well-paid jobs. That's what the Albanese government's free TAFE places agenda is all about. Our free TAFE initiative is bringing down the costs of getting a qualification, saving students money and helping them into better paid jobs.

Working with the states and territories, our government's free TAFE initiative is also making immediate inroads in addressing the skills shortages faced by Australian employers. The enormous uptake of enrolments in its first 18 months demonstrates what a critical difference free TAFE makes to Australians looking to undertake training. Since free TAFE started in January 2023, there have been more than 508,000 enrolments in courses in priority areas, including construction, early education, digital technology and care. Importantly, one in every three places has been taken up by people in regional communities and six in every 10 enrolments have been women.