Interview - ABC Northern Tasmania with André Leslie

ANDRÉ LESLIE, HOST: The Albanese Government has today announced $1.8 million in funding to support new Fee-Free TAFE and vet places. From January next year, 410 Fee-Free TAFE places will be available to Tasmanians, including up to 100 pre-apprenticeship places. Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles is with us now. Minister, welcome to Drive.

MINISTER FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING ANDREW GILES: Great to be with you and talking with your listeners, André.

LESLIE: This funding is, is it part of the five-year National Skills Agreement? I was looking into it today. Is that where the money comes from?

GILES: Yeah, it is. It's part of this agreement between the Commonwealth and every state and territory jurisdiction, including Tasmania, but these are new places. We know there's been an extraordinary uptake of Fee-Free TAFE in Tasmania, more than 6000 already, way ahead of where we've been forecasting. And within this agreement, one of the priority areas between the Albanese Government and Tasmanian Government is a commitment to address housing supply. So, this is about that. It's about giving 410 Tasmanians, young Tasmanians, perhaps some not-so-young Tasmanians too, an opportunity to develop new skills, but also to contribute to building homes for Tasmanians.

LESLIE: What courses are we talking about here that are fee-free? Is the focus on housing and construction or is it other things too?

GILES: Well, today's announcement is all about housing and construction, but the agreement broadly is about a range of other areas where our governments have agreed we need to develop skills. So, one of the big areas has been early childhood education and care, a range of technology-related courses as well. We have seen so many people make a decision to upgrade their skills or to start something new, and of course, in doing so save thousands of dollars. So, there's a real cost-of-living impact as well.

LESLIE: We're speaking to Federal Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles today on the Drive program. If you want to weigh in, feel free. 046-79-2917. Minister, it really is good to hear about these fee-free places. It's good to hear that they were popular last year. But I'm wondering how we can make going to TAFE more inviting here in the north of the state? When you move around the new UTAS campus at Inveresk in Launceston, it's stunning. I don't know whether you've seen it, but it's absolutely world-class in my opinion, that's in stark contrast to the TasTAFE campus at Alanvale.

GILES: Yeah, look, I have been to the Inveresk campus of UTAS, and one of the things that I'm focused on at the highest level is making the case for vocational education and training. I think Australians get that most of the jobs of the future require a post-school qualification. What I think is less well understood is that half of them require a vocational qualification, not a degree. So, I think elevating that is really important. Opening up fee-free places is critical, but I take your point about the quality of the facilities. We have been working through the agreement with the Tasmanian government about making some investments. There's been a recent one in Devonport, for example, and down in the south in Clarence, there have been significant federal investments. We know that elevating the status of vocational education is a big job, and a big part of that involves actually listening to the people who are on the campuses about what their expectations are. And what employers want too, making sure that people have got access to up-to-date equipment to work on, and that's why we've got a TAFE technology fund to ensure that we are upgrading our facilities.

LESLIE: How about training the trainers as well, to make sure that the teachers of the next generation of plumbers and electricians and so on are really top-notch as well? Is that important?

GILES: That's important, and there's a really big bit of work underway because we want people to get contemporary training. Encouraging people to merge their trade skills with teaching the next generation is a really big project. I've been really fortunate as I go around Tasmania and around Australia to listen to some of the really positive stories I've heard about people in the course of doing their apprenticeship, but also some of the trainers who take such pride in passing on their skills and their love for the trade too. But we do have to encourage more people to take on trades training if we are to train more tradies. We've got a big bit of work about a VET Workforce Blueprint that's underway right now. That's all about getting better, ensuring that we have high-quality trainers.

LESLIE: Just finally, we've obviously got a state that's desperate for more housing. I'm sure you've seen that. That's not necessarily your portfolio, but it's related. We need more skilled people. What else can the Federal Government do to help the situation in the housing area that isn't going to take maybe five or ten years to have an impact?

GILES: Yeah, there's a couple of things that I think need to be said. Firstly is, you know, we have done a lot already. The Housing Australia Future Fund, the great work of Julie Collins when she was in the portfolio. Investments in rent assist as well, which are helping people get into the rental market. We have got bills though that are being frustrated in the Senate, frustrated by the Opposition and the Liberals that would be helping Australians and Tasmanians to buy. So, there's a big agenda underway, way that's being effectively prosecuted by my friend and colleague, Minister O'Neil, the new Minister. But my role is making sure that we've got the workforce to do this. I'm excited by the response I'm seeing from young Tasmanians to pick up skills that they can use to not just build a career for themselves, but build communities, give more Tasmanians a roof over their heads. I saw that today in Launceston. I'm keen to keep working and sharing some of the stories of the apprentices I've met.

LESLIE: All right, we'll leave it there for the moment. Thanks for getting in touch with the programme, Minister Andrew Giles. Appreciate it.

GILES: Great, thanks. Thanks for having me. And great to be in Launie today.