Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Please feel free to encourage me, Mr Deputy Speaker! We are also particularly interested in the vocational education and training sector and the importance of skills shortage areas. Sadly, from our perspective, the failure to really seriously address funding of the VET sector is also an issue of concern. Clearly, we understand that there was the announcement of three additional Australian technical colleges, but beyond that there was very little joy in that sector and so there are some particular issues there that we would like to explore also with the minister.

The other very significant area that needs some further detailed looking at is the schools funding area. There have been a number of programs—for example, the literacy and numeracy vouchers program, which has now been embedded in recurrent funding after having been a pilot. I, like many others, I am sure, went through the trial period of the pilots with the literacy and numeracy vouchers.

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