Doorstop Interview - Townsville

ROS BATES, QUEENSLAND MINISTER FOR FINANCE, TRADE, EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING: Well firstly, I would like to welcome Minister Giles to North Queensland. He is a friend of North Queensland and he has spent the last couple of days in Queensland. So it's great to have him here. It's also fantastic to have Janelle Poole, our wonderful local member here, Phil Thompson is also here. 

So both Phil and Janelle are fierce advocates for North Queensland and today is evidence of their ability to deliver for their own local community. And the Crisafulli Government is proud to stand here today and deliver on our commitment to developing training opportunities across North Queensland. 

And that's why we are today opening the state-of-the-art creative and visual arts campus at TAFE Queensland's Pimlico facility. After a decade of decline the Crisafulli Government is committed to delivering access and across all of Queensland, real training that leads to real jobs right here in North Queensland.

These facilities are going to support our local students to build skills, unlock new opportunities and forge a career in creative industries. And delivering the 2032 Olympics will take more than just tradesmen, the creative industries will play a critical role in introducing Queensland to the world. Our investments in this facility will get more Queenslanders into work, give our local businesses the skilled staff that they need, grow our economy and help deliver 2032. 

The Crisafulli Government sees skills training as a pathway for Queenslanders to help grow our economy while building the future of our state, and the lifestyle that we all deserve. And today's opening of TAFE Queensland's Pimlico creative and visual arts campus is just another way the Crisafulli Government is delivering on our election commitments. And I will now hand over to my federal colleague, Minister Giles. Thank you.

ANDREW GILES, MINISTER FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING: Thanks Minister Bates. It’s really great to be here with you today, with Janelle the local state member as well. I’m thrilled to be here at Queensland TAFE’s Pimlico campus, about six months ago where there were fences here, and I'm so excited to walk through and see exactly what this commitment has done. $4.5 million dollars, a partnership between the Albanese Government and the Crisafulli Government to make sure that people in North Queensland can access all the skills they need for jobs of the future.

As Minister Bates says, when we think about the skills challenges, of course we think about the traditional trades, we think about nursing, we think about the care sector. But the creative industries are also really, really important. And for too long, people in this part of the world haven't been able to access the training they deserve. 

And I think about that, particularly, when I look over the road, to the high school and the Denise Glasgow Performing Arts Centre. And I was talking to people earlier today about what a fantastic pathway this is going to be from the high school over the road for people to start a Certificate III or maybe even a Diploma to gain great qualifications in the creative arts right here in Queensland. 

This is really about listening to community, it’s about partnership and it’s about recognising that everyone in every corner of the country should be able to access skills they want to do the jobs we need. I’m really pleased to be here in Townsville for this event, but also to recognise what we are doing to build skills right around the country, particularly for Queenslanders.

Just yesterday I was with Minister Bates announcing some other agreements we've reached, $115 million dollars’ worth to make sure that more Queenslanders are starting an apprenticeship or indeed enrolling in a TAFE course, get all the help they need not just to enrol, but to make sure they get to the other end of it, to make sure they complete and can move on to great secure jobs, making their contribution, whether it's in the care sector, building homes or maybe building those Olympic facilities.

We've also put a $15 million investment to make sure that Queenslanders get more help with their foundation skills because we know that too many Australians around the country just need that little bit of extra help whether it's within traditional reading and writing or increasingly with those digital skills, which are a part of our everyday jobs. 

So I'm really pleased to stand here with my colleague Minister Bates to take another step forward in ensuring that every Queenslander, but particularly people in North Queensland, can access skills they want to get the jobs they need, and to support Queensland TAFE.

SUSAN KINOBE, GENERAL MANAGER, TAFE QUEENSLAND: I would like to officially acknowledge and thank the honourable Ros Bates, our MP for Queensland for the amazing contribution and certainly backed by Member for Mundingburra Janelle Poole, we appreciate it. 

That's obviously, as we were saying before, like the collaboration with both sides of government and federal, I thank Minister Giles for their federal contribution as well. And for people like Phil Thompson, have constantly supported our local community to grow and as you were just saying before, this is, except for school education, this is the only arts education precinct in Townsville, and up to Cairns and down, important for our workforce. 

I'd like to thank our CEO John Tucker for his advocacy. Peter McKay, Director General of the Department for his advocacy. 

We’re already seeing an influx of enrolments and enquiries for this course, producing that pipeline of workers we absolutely need. 2032 is coming up very quickly and we know this is going to be pivotal and long-lasting community impact. So I sincerely appreciate everything that you have done for us and with us.

BATES: I can take some questions and if they're federal, I will gladly hand them over to Minister Giles.

JOURNALIST: So can you just tell me some of the jobs that can come out of creative spaces like this?

BATES: The certificates for visual arts are going to be important, particularly in the lead up to the Olympic and Paralympic games. We are going to be showcasing Queensland to the world. So it's important that we have the very best training and it's even better that it's coming out of regional Queensland, like Townsville.

JOURNALIST: And how important is it that we support TAFE especially with from JCU not having the same degree anymore?

BATES: TAFE is really important, it is the bedrock of vocational training here in Queensland. And that's why the Crisafulli Government in the last budget, allocated $2.1 billion dollars to employment and training. And I do have to thank my federal counterpart for allowing us to leverage the federal funding so that we could do that and deliver the skills for the future that we’re going to need.

JOURNALIST: What message do you think this gives to students who are looking at the creative arts industries as opposed to other trades?

BATES: We’re open for business, and we’re open for learning. Come here.

JOURNALIST: There is Minister obviously a big push into other, I guess, industries within TAFE training. We look at hydrogen, electric vehicles, all that engineering, those types of things. Why is creative and visual arts still something important? What's the value of that?

BATS: We have an amazing movie industry here in Queensland. You've seen what's been done particularly on the Gold Coast. We've now got studios for editing in Brisbane. So there are vast opportunities for young kids from Townsville, to take their career across the world.

JOURNALIST: I guess a similar question. Why, what are you, the Federal Government, I suppose, see value in creative and visual arts like we do here today?

GILES: Well, there's two big reasons for that. One is, of course, there are really important employment opportunities right here in Townsville and right around the country. That's what TAFE is about. It's a great bridge between people's interests their skills and the labour market. 

The other reason is we do want to make it possible and accessible for everyone and every part of our country, to tell their stories, to make sure Australian culture in all its diversity is maintained. For too long people right here in North Queensland would have had to go some distance if they're interested in pursuing creative industries. We know that's been a really big barrier. Today that barrier's been taken down.

ENDS