Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to mark National Skills Week, an important time to recognise the vital role that vocational education and training plays in shaping the future of our country. This year's theme, 'Explore ALL the options', reminds us that education isn't a one-size-fits-all journey. It's about offering real pathways—multiple flexible and rewarding options for Australians to skill or reskill; to secure good, well-paid jobs; and to build careers that support their families, contribute to our economy and meet the changing needs of our society.

In Bonner I see firsthand the power of vocational education. From our local TAFE campus at Mount Gravatt, where students are studying everything from accounting to automotive, to apprentices gaining hands-on experience with some of Australia's most advanced employers—including Switch Box in Bonner, who Minister Giles and I visited back in July to chat with local electrical apprentices, our community is full of examples of skills based learning changing lives.

The Albanese government is proud to be putting TAFE back at the centre of Australia's VET system, right where it belongs, and we're backing that commitment with investment, with vision and with action. Across our TAFE campuses, we see a beautiful cross-section of Australia. This includes students from every background, staff with deep industry knowledge—just like my mum, who was a proud TAFE teacher for over 20 years in early childhood education—and facilities that are improving all the time to meet both learner aspirations and industry needs. Whether it's community services next to IT or auto mechanics next to agriculture, our TAFEs reflect the full spectrum of the Australian economy and its future.

The response to fee-free TAFE has been absolutely extraordinary. Australians are backing it in, and they're showing up in record numbers. That's why the Albanese government has legislated to make fee-free TAFE permanent, delivering 100,000 places every year from 2027. In my electorate of Bonner, fee-free TAFE is already making a real difference. A student studying accounting at the Mount Gravatt campus will save almost $5,000 a year under this policy. That is real money in people's pockets and a real investment in our local workforce.

I also recently visited the Tesla workshop in Mount Gravatt with the Minister for Skills and Training, Minister Giles, where we met Zahraa, one of just five female apprentices at Tesla nationally. Zahraa is not only excelling in her field; she's leading. She's helping to build Australia's clean energy future and she has also created a peer support network for other women navigating the challenges of trade apprenticeships. Zahraa is an absolute inspiration and she is a great example of how our New Energy Apprenticeships Program is supporting the next generation of skilled workers in the renewable energy sector. Programs like this are critical if we are going to meet the workforce demands of the decade ahead.

Nine out of 10 new jobs in the next 10 years will require some form of post-secondary education. Around half of those jobs will need a VET qualification, and many of those jobs will be in critical sectors, such as clean energy, housing construction, aged care, early childhood education and manufacturing. The Albanese government is focused on building that pipeline of skilled workers. We've already seen encouraging growth. There are now 50,000 more apprentices in training than there were before the pandemic. Construction apprentices are up 28 per cent, and women starting trade apprenticeships are up 32 per cent. These are great signs, but we know there is more to do.

That's why we've launched our Key Apprenticeship Program, including the new energy stream and housing construction stream. Already, more than 12,000 apprentices have signed up for clean energy pathways, and, in just one month, more than 1,200 new apprentices were approved under the housing construction stream, including carpenters, electricians and plumbers—workers we desperately need to help us build more homes for Australians. And we're supporting these students beyond just enrolment. We've increased the living-away-from-home allowance for the first time in more than 20 years. That payment hadn't been updated since 2003.

Bonner is also home to more than 59,000 VET students. Courses in engineering and health are amongst the most in demand, and it's no surprise. These are sectors that are offering meaningful work, long-term careers and vital services for our communities. We're backing these students and we're backing their futures through the $30 billion National Skills Agreement that we've struck with the states and territories. This agreement is transforming our VET system, investing in high-quality, accessible training and creating TAFE centres of excellence. It also supports the delivery of foundation skills, building Australians' literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. That's because we know that the road to meaningful employment starts with confidence, and sometimes that means going back to basics. Through our Skills for Education and Employment program and $77 million in new funding, we're expanding access to free English language, literacy and digital skills training. In a rapidly changing economy where AI, automation and digital tools are becoming the norm, these skills are not optional; they are foundational to future participation and prosperity.

We need to shift the national conversation around vocational education. This isn't second best to university; it's equal. And it must be seen as such if we are to meet the challenges and opportunities of the next decade. We also must acknowledge that learning doesn't stop at 18 or 21. More and more Australians are using fee-free TAFE to reskill later in life, starting new careers, new passions and new opportunities. Our government supports that. Whether it's formal training in classrooms or informal learning in the workplace, education should be lifelong and supported at every stage.

National Skills Week is a time to celebrate the value of hands-on learning and the diversity of pathways Australians can take to success. It's time to recognise the students, teachers, employers and institutions like TAFE that are lifting up our communities and driving our economy forward. It's time to reaffirm our commitment to making vocational education more accessible, more inclusive and more respected. The Albanese government is proud to be leading that charge, and I'm proud as the member for Bonner to stand here today and say that we are backing Australians with the skills for the jobs of the future.

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