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

I love TAFE. My mum was a TAFE teacher for decades in Central Queensland, and I saw every single day the difference she made to those students in training the early childhood education teachers of the future. When I think about being here in this place and the importance of being in this place, there is nothing more important than fee-free TAFE. That is why I'm so proud of the Albanese Labor government's commitment to making fee-free TAFE permanent.

From next year we are going to deliver 100,000 free TAFE places every single year, and the impact is already being felt right across the country. We've got more than 740,000 people enrolled in fee-free TAFE, and in Queensland alone there have been over 134,000 enrolments and more than 45,000 course completions. These are not just numbers; they are lives being changed.

In my electorate of Bonner, I see that impact each and every day. From Wynnum to Wakerley, from Ransome to Rochedale, locals are gaining skills, changing careers and building better futures. They are studying everything from nursing to construction, from accounting to cybersecurity. Importantly, they are saving thousands of dollars while they are doing it. A student studying accounting at the Mount Gravatt campus can save up to $4,800, and a nursing student can save more than $16,000. That is real cost-of-living relief and that is also real opportunity.

Behind these numbers, there are powerful stories—people like Stacey, a Diploma of Nursing student in Queensland. She was inspired to become a nurse by battling stage 3 ovarian cancer and being cared for by nurses she describes as 'the best people I've ever met in my life'. Now, because of fee-free TAFE, she is on her way to becoming one of those nurses herself. Rhys, a Brisbane student studying cybersecurity, said free TAFE had changed the trajectory of his life and set him up for a future in an industry where his skills will always be needed. That is what this policy is about—not just qualifications but transformation.

Free TAFE is also helping us build the workforce Australia needs. Today there are 50,000 more apprentices in training than before the pandemic, and we've seen a 28 per cent increase in construction apprentices, which are critical to building the homes Australians need. Through the Key Apprenticeship Program, we are supporting apprentices with up to $10,000 to help cover the costs of tools, fuel and living expenses. Already, more than 11,000 apprentices have started in housing construction and over 12,000 are training for clean energy jobs. If we are serious about building homes, we must also build the workforce to deliver them.

We are also seeing something else shift, and it matters—more women are entering traditionally male dominated trades. The number of women starting apprenticeships is up 32 per cent, and women now make up 62 per cent of free-TAFE enrolments. That is not just progress; that is also transformation. We are also making it easier for Australians to keep learning. There is a new national credit recognition framework, and we are reducing the barriers between TAFE and university. This means that students can receive credit for their existing qualifications, cutting the time and cost of a degree. Learning should not be limited by cost or by rigid systems, and the results speak for themselves. Research shows that VET graduates are now more likely to be employed and to earn more. On average, graduates see income increases of over $14,000 after completing their qualification, and 84 per cent are employed after finishing their course. That is the value of skills and that is the value of TAFE.

Labor understands that education does not stop at 18 or 21. Nine out of 10 jobs in the next decade will require post-secondary education, and that is why supporting TAFE is not optional; it's essential. Free TAFE is delivering for young people, for jobseekers, for women, for First Nations Australians and for people with a disability. It's removing barriers, lowering costs and opening doors. Only Labor backs free TAFE, only Labor backs skills and only Labor backs the future of this country.

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