Doorstop – CIT Fyshwick Canberra

ACT MINISTER FOR SKILLS, TRAINING, AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS MICHAEL PETTERSSON: Well, good morning everybody. I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land we're gathered on and all the people as well as all the families with connections to these lands.

Well, today is an exciting day for the passage of the Free TAFE bill through the House of Representatives. Free TAFE is so important to the ACT community. It enables people to make life changing decisions to gain the skills and training that they need to engage in our growing and modern economy.

Here in the ACT, we've seen 3,700 people have their lives changed by Free TAFE. I'm so proud that the Federal Labor Government is progressing the Free TAFE bill, 'cause enshrining Free TAFE will make sure that generations of Australians, generations of Canberrans will get to benefit from Free TAFE into the future.

I know here in the ACT we've got a vibrant TAFE sector, led proudly by the public institute, that is the Canberra Institute of Technology.

Here in the ACT, we're very proud of the innovation that our CIT is leading. We are gathered here, of course, at the EV Centre of Excellence showcasing to the rest of the country how CIT is leading the way, and we look forward to working with other jurisdictions, other TAFEs to share the knowledge that we are building right here.

I am of course joined by Parliamentary colleagues, Senator Sheldon, as well as Minister Giles, and I'll hand over to them to say a few words. Thank you.

MINISTER FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING ANDREW GILES: Yeah, thanks very much, Michael. It's great to be back at CIT. I feel I've become almost an honorary Canberran because I've had so many visits here with you and my colleagues like Senator Gallagher, Dave Smith, Andrew Leigh and the local member here Alicia Payne.

I'm so pleased that members of the House of Representatives yesterday recognised the extraordinary benefits of Free TAFE and passed the Free TAFE bill through the House of Representatives.

This represents a deep commitment to ensuring that Australians continue to get the skills they want in areas we need.

When Labor came into government we inherited the second worst skills crisis across the whole of the OECD, and the worst in 50 years. This was impacting every aspect of the economy and impacting the cost‑of‑living pressures on every Australian. Free TAFE has been a huge vehicle turning this around.

Around 600,000 Australians have enrolled in Free TAFE courses, they've seen what it can mean for them and their families and their communities. Already around 110,000 have completed their courses and have got to work in areas we need, areas like the digital space, areas like residential housing construction, like the net-zero transition, in manufacturing, in the care sector, and of course the health sector where so many people have undertaken the path to become an enrolled nurse.

It is a fantastic initiative, and that's why we are committed to making it permanent. But the challenge is at the next election there will be a really clear choice when it comes to Free TAFE, because the Liberals have made it very, very clear that they are opposed to it. We know that because they voted against it in the House of Representatives. Every single member of the Liberal Party and the National Party voted against it. And they told us why they voted against it when the Shadow Minister said this: "If you don't value something, if you don't pay for something, you don't value it".

Now that sums up their attitude, but not the attitude of Australians, in particular the incredible Free TAFE students I've met today and right around the country. They value the skills that they are getting. They tell me that cost has been the barrier that's preventing them from doing the job that they want to do. Free TAFE has ripped down that barrier and opened up the door of opportunity for these people and for hundreds of thousands like them around the country.

Labor is committed to keeping that door of opportunity open, indeed to pushing it wider. Peter Dutton and the Liberals want to slam it shut in the faces of Australians. That is the choice at the next election.

Now we're going to hear from my colleague, Senator Tony Sheldon, who's been doing a fantastic job leading the inquiry into this bill. He'll talk a little bit about that process. Then we'll hear from Correna Haythorpe from the AEU, whose members as teachers at TAFEs right around this country and trainers can explain what it means to them, Free TAFE. And most importantly we're going to hear from Caitlyn, a Free TAFE student who's got an incredibly powerful story that demands to be heard right around the country.

Over to you, Tony.

SENATOR TONY SHELDON: Thank you very much, Minister. It's so wonderful to be here. I've been around so many TAFE colleges ‑ particularly over the last number of months because we're holding a Senate Inquiry, looking at Fee‑Free TAFE and the opportunities that that gives to young Australians, and also the economy, to make sure we're getting skilled people back into the economy, giving them opportunities and making sure those people that haven't been able to come in and participate in skilled work, the skills Australia needs and those individuals need to make life so much better for themselves.

This is actually a cost-of-living initiative that the Opposition opposes. Fee‑Free TAFE means that kids can get to college, they can learn the skills, jump into the economy and make a difference, and everybody benefits from it, except the Coalition is opposed to it. They're more worried about $20,000 dinners for billionaires, putting barramundi on the table for billionaires, than turning around and making sure that TAFE is given to build our economy and help our kids.

Fee‑Free TAFE means that we get kids right across and adults being retrained, re‑skilled and brought into the economy when we've got a skills shortage. This is an initiatives that make a difference to the economy.

But also, they're a cost-of-living benefit, and it's a wonderful, wonderful opportunity for so many young Australians and others who want to re‑skill.

Now we've seen in the Senate Inquiry the Coalition time and time again has said that they're opposed to Fee‑Free TAFE. They're opposed to the opportunity for Australians to be skilled, the opportunity for benefits on their personal lives, to deal with the cost-of-living opportunities, and also they're opposed to the fact that there's going to be an opportunity for all Australians to make a real difference.

So, the real future for Fee‑Free TAFE will be in jeopardy if the Coalition is elected at the next election. Fee‑Free TAFE, the only challenge to Fee‑Free TAFE is not the ambition of the Australian public to make sure it happens for everybody, but the Coalition wants to get rid of it.

So, I'm just going to hand over to Correna in one moment, because there's a very important compact here. Businesses are getting the opportunity to get new students, new opportunities for skilled labour into the workforce, young people and people are getting an opportunity to retrain, and of course teachers are bringing that all together and giving those learnings to our youth and making a real difference to the economy.

So, I'll hand over to Correna.

FEDERAL PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION UNION CORRENA HAYTHORPE: Prior to 2022, TAFE was completely decimated by the previous Coalition government. We had TAFE campuses closing right across the country, we had courses that were shut, and we had students who were burdened with incredible debts which meant that they were not able to complete their vocational education.

For our members, TAFE teachers across Australia, the most important thing about TAFE is the social contract, its contract to the Australian people to provide high quality vocational education to all, no matter what their background or circumstances are.

And what we now see with Free TAFE is the opening of the doors on TAFE campuses across the nation that were shut, classes are now vibrant, and we've got students who are engaging with vocational education.

For TAFE teachers, we now see ongoing funding providing permanent opportunities for them for their employment. We've got attraction and retention issues for the TAFE teaching workforce because of that previous decimation under the Coalition government.

In New South Wales alone we've now seen an increase in terms of 90 per cent of the workforce there for TAFE teachers now being permanent because they have certainty of funding.

For our students, it is life changing. Whether it's aged care or early childhood education or the trades or hairdressing, to be able to access vocational education without that huge debt that they were saddled with prior to Free TAFE has just been amazing, and you know, it really impacts on the skills shortages across the nation.

What's at risk here is quite simple. We know what a Dutton government will do to TAFE. We've been there before; we experienced it for nine years with an $8 billion cut from vocational education. TAFE students and TAFE teachers cannot afford a Dutton government.

CAITLYN: Hi, my name as Caitlyn, I'm a Stage 2 enrolled nursing student on the Fee‑Free program, which has been incredible for me. I was a Navy dental assistant from 2009 through to 2016. After leaving full‑time Defence Force I decided I wanted to be an enrolled nurse. Unfortunately I had to keep delaying a start date due to how much it was going to cost to start, and then due to the Fee‑Free TAFE I've been able to start at the same time looking after my son, not having to worry about finances, and that when I graduate, I can jump straight into the industry helping the community, not having to worry about paying back a massive debt.

GILES: Thanks very much everyone. And before seeing if you've got any questions, can I just say if anyone is in any doubt about the power and the importance of Free TAFE, they should listen to Caitlyn's story. That's not to diminish the other incredible stories of the young students here, and the maybe not quite so young students that we see around the country too.

But what Caitlyn has just said and how she says it sums up the critical importance of Free TAFE to her, and there will be a great graduation party that I hope to be invited to in December. No pressure, Caitlyn. But stories like that right around the country.

It is about opening the door of opportunity that previously had been shut. And Australia cannot afford Peter Dutton slamming shut that door to the other Caitlyns right around this country.

Are there any questions? Thanks very much everyone.