Interview with Michael Clarke - ABC Radio North Queensland

MICHAEL CLARKE, HOST: We know that art can mean an awful lot to so many of us and it has all sorts of powers. So we love our artists, you're a very special bunch of people and North Queensland has been blessed with a very thriving art scene over the years. But in recent years it's been a little bit difficult, if to be a visual artist has been your dream, to follow that dream and do your training and skilling in the local area. 

Well all that is set to change with some good news now about a new creative arts precinct at Pimlico TAFE. It's a $4.5 million dollar project that's funded by both the Federal and State Governments. The Federal Minister for Skills and Training is Andrew Giles, who's in Townsville today. Minister, thank you for your time this morning.

ANDREW GILES, MINISTER FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING: Really great to be back here and talking with you, Michael.

HOST: Tell us about this precinct. What's going on there?

GILES: Well, as you say, this is really important because for some time now with decisions made by the uni, locals haven't been able to get training in the creative arts here in Townsville in North Queensland. So today's investment will turn that around. It's a $4.5 million investment that we'll be launching today that will deliver state-of-the-art creative arts facilities at Pimlico TAFE here, jointly funded by the Albanese Government through our TAFE Technology Fund and the Queensland Government too. 

And now is a fantastic time for anyone who’s got an interest in the creative arts, to come on, to have a think about the skills that they might acquire, particularly as we know there’s huge demand particularly in Queensland driven by the Olympics.

HOST: Was there a worry that young people were maybe not following that career path at all or were having to go away, to leave Townsville to become artists?

GILES: Well, for sure. And we're really concerned in the Albanese Government to break down all of the barriers that have been holding back Australians from accessing training. Obviously, cost barriers through the introduction of Free TAFE but also through investments like this, making sure that people don't have to leave their communities to get skills that they want to do jobs that we need doing.

HOST: Is art important when we talk about the scheme of things, when we talk about skilling people? I know the conversation in recent years, not just here, but also around the world, has really focused on those job-ready positions. Where does art sit in all of this, Minister?

GILES: Well, it's fundamentally important in two senses. Obviously, in a cultural sense, as Australians, it's important that we tell our stories to the world, that we can express ourselves through First Nations culture being expressed, but all the ways in which Australian life is different from life in other countries. But it also leads to jobs. Particularly, as I say, there's a big demand as we look towards the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics for arts, design and also production needs that are associated with the work here. 

So when we think about the sort of skills that TAFE delivers, obviously people's first thoughts might be around construction. And I'm really pleased to see really strong numbers in construction training in Queensland. They might think about nursing or early childhood education, also vitally important. But the creative arts matter too.

HOST: This new announcement with the precinct, the Creative Arts Precinct, I understand includes spaces for sculpture, printmaking, drawing, painting, dark rooms, 3D printing, all sorts of things. Is it ready or will there be construction involved here?

GILES: We're launching it today. So I'm really looking forward to having a look at what our investment has delivered and how it's going to excite young people and perhaps some others, not so young people thinking about a career change. I mean, one of the things that we know from industry across the board is they want to see people who've been trained in cutting-edge, state-of-the-art facilities, and that's exactly what this is delivering.

HOST: And ready to go, so you'll have a look yourself and maybe be impressed by some art. You'll try your hand?

GILES: Well, one of the great things about the job I have is that people get to expose the limitations of my own skills in a wide variety of areas. I was on a shipping simulator yesterday, which I think indicated that there won't be a job for me in our maritime industries. Today, I wouldn't be surprised if I end up having a go, but I think there are others who will make better use of these facilities than me, Michael.

HOST: You'll find that maybe a career in politics is best suited to you rather than arts.

GILES: Yeah, obviously that's for others to judge every three years, but I'm pretty confident that I won't make a great contribution to Australia's visual arts story.

HOST: We'll see how that goes. Good luck to everyone there at Pimlico TAFE with that new Creative Arts Precinct. The Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, is with us today. There has been quite a lot of work happening at TAFE over a number of years, particularly with free courses that have been announced and been available to people here locally. What are we seeing with that?

GILES: What we've seen is a really strong response amongst Queenslanders up and down the state, 125,000 enrolments since we introduced Free TAFE just a couple of years ago. And I guess in response to that, that's one of the reasons why just before the election, we passed a bill to make Free TAFE permanent, funding 100,000 places each year into the future. I've been really interested to see where the response has been. Nursing and early childhood education have been particularly strong, around 7,000 enrolments in each. 

We've seen around 9,000 enrolments from Queenslanders in construction-related trades, which I'm also really excited about because obviously building the homes that Australians and Queenslanders need is an absolute priority. So those have been some of the responses that I've been most interested in. But I always like going to TAFE and asking people what it is that's led them to make the choice, to understand their career aspirations and how we can do a better job of making sure that every Australian in every part of the country uses Free TAFE if it's appropriate to them to realise their potential and make their contribution.

HOST: And when we talk about doing a better job, Minister, it has long been discussed how we see skills drains in areas like North Queensland in regional centres where we just don't have the people qualified to do some of the jobs. How do we turn that around and what's the process as far as you're concerned?

GILES: I'd make a couple of points about that. I think part of it is about having facilities in the regions. Obviously, this investment is a significant one. There's also one just down the road at TAFE Queensland here in Townsville as well around electric vehicle skills, which I'm really excited about and I'm going to have a look at as well. Another area where the skills demand is increasing and people shouldn't have to go to south east Queensland to develop or acquire those skills. I think it's also about listening, understanding that in different parts of the country there are different drivers of skills demand. 

And one of the things that's really important to us as a Government is we recognise that everything we do in this space we do in partnership. We do in partnership with our colleagues in state and territory governments, we do in partnership with industry, we do in partnership with Australians right around the country. So being able to listen and understand what works in Townsville, where the future demand is going to be, is a really critical part of my being here today, listening as well as being part of this important announcement.

HOST: Well, good luck with it today. Thanks for telling us about it and all the best with your visit to Townsville.

GILES: It's great to be here, Michael, and really good to be chatting with you. Thanks very much.

ENDS