Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As I was saying, in my community I certainly know that these skills are very much valued, and the investment in TAFEs is very much valued. We are fortunate to have Melbourne Polytechnic campuses in both Greensborough and West Heidelberg. I've visited these many times, and I often hear from students about the quality of the education and support they receive. The Centre of Excellence at Melbourne Polytechnic's West Heidelberg campus is already upskilling locals in Jagajaga and across Melbourne in critical and emerging industries. This includes targeted training in affordable and environmentally sustainable construction techniques. I was talking earlier about how our investment is helping to fill skills shortages, and this is really about us using these skills and using this investment, not just to give young people and other people the skills and training they need but also to deliver on our national housing needs, which is obviously especially timely given the significant housing investments we are making.

By allowing these students at these facilities in my electorate and, as I said, right around Australia to defer the cost of their tuition until they earn a sufficient income, this program opens the door to opportunities for thousands of Australians every year. Without it, many would not be able to study at all and our businesses and communities would lose the benefits of a skilled and qualified workforce. That is why this bill and the broader work we are doing are so important in making sure we have a system that operates in a strong, transparent way and is set up to deliver for our country now and into the future.

So I'm really pleased that this bill is fixing a technical issue that arose from the transition between the two loan schemes, providing students and providers with the certainty they deserve. But I'm also really pleased that as a government we are putting such a focus on skills and training. I get to see frequently, as I said, what a difference that makes in my community. I always love meeting particularly the construction apprentices at the West Heidelberg site and learning from them about the opportunities they see in their future and learning from their instructors about how important they know the work is.

So we as a Labor government are opening up these doors to opportunity for everyone. We are saying that this is not about how much money you earn, this is not about your background; this is an opportunity for every Australian to get the skills they need in order to get a good job and to help us as a country to build the workforces we need. So I'm very pleased to be speaking on this bill and to be supporting this bill and our government's broader work in skills and training. Thank you.

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