Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Skills and Training. Upon election, the Albanese government inherited a massive skills deficit holding our economy back. According to the OECD, Australia was experiencing the second-most severe labour shortage in the developed world. So how is the Albanese government prioritising and rebuilding the vocational education and training sector after this decade of neglect?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to 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.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Pratt?

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know that fee-free TAFE is providing opportunities for Australians to skill and reskill in areas of demand without a financial burden. But not everyone supports fee-free TAFE. Minister, what has been the response to our fee-free TAFE policy in 2023?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before you start, Minister, I remind you to direct your answers through the chair.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to 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.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Pratt, second supplementary?

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the TAFE sector has endured periods of underfunding, impacts of deregulation, loose rules for market entry, a lack of national cohesion and an obsession for competition at the expense of collaboration. How have the government's actions to strengthen TAFE been informed by these lessons of the past?

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

Senator Pratt, you might think, like I do, that it's common sense, but apparently it's news to those opposite that, if you don't collaborate and coordinate with the states and territories, who are responsible for huge amounts of investment in their own TAFE sectors, then it's impossible to get the best outcomes for Australians, businesses and the economy. That's what we experienced under the previous Liberal-National government. For the first time in 10 years, every state and territory has been supported by the Commonwealth in a genuine and collaborative way.

Madam President, it does seem that there are a few opposition members who need to take up our fee-free TAFE places. In fact, maybe we need to offer a course on how to become a shadow minister, because we know it's been nearly six months since Stuart Robert left the parliament and he hasn't been replaced. Instead of having a reshuffle, Peter Dutton just shuffles people along the deckchairs on the other side. Maybe they should have a fee-free TAFE course on how to be a backbencher, after the member for Monash resigned from the Liberal Party and went to the crossbench today.