Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the time that I have, I rise tonight to talk about an excellent educational institution that is doing great things in my electorate and the region, providing opportunities for many. In particular, it is at the forefront of sustainable water management training in Victoria.

The Chisholm Institute of TAFE has a proud history in the south-east of Melbourne, in and around my electorate. The then technical colleges were established in both Dandenong and Frankston in the early 1900s. Through the fifties and sixties other technical colleges were set up in the region. The Chisholm institute, in its present form, was established in 2002. It was named in honour of Caroline Chisholm, the early Australian reformer and humanitarian. Her motto, 'I promise to know neither country nor creed, but to serve all justly and impartially', fits perfectly with the present-day philosophy of the Chisholm institute.

Today there are approximately 40,000 people studying and training at Chisholm, including over 1,000 a year who come from overseas to earn Australian qualifications. Chisholm has grown to now have six campuses, including Cranbourne in my electorate and Berwick just out of my electorate, so there is an educational hub around Berwick, Cranbourne and Dandenong.

I often drive down Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road. In recent months, as I have driven past the Chisholm institute's Cranbourne campus, I have witnessed the construction and development of the impressive Centre for Sustainable Water Management, including a horticulture centre and multilevel training facilities. It is an impressive structure helping to symbolise how Cranbourne is getting the essential infrastructure it needs. I recently had the pleasure of opening the Centre for Sustainable Water Management, built with $8.2 million of Australian government funding. This centre offers unique training facilities. It can accommodate heavy machinery, allowing staff to get hands-on experience with earthmoving plant equipment and be taught civil construction skills such as pipe laying, trenching and shoring. This new multipurpose facility includes a pioneering water treatment plant, a water quality testing lab, an industry research and development area, recycling programs and a controlled environment horticulture facility.

The institute has already delivered successful workforce development programs to leading water authorities, including South East Water, City West Water and Yarra Valley Water. The facility will also benefit several vocational disciplines, including water management and sustainability, plumbing, building and horticulture. This facility is the first of its kind in the region and the size of the environmental horticulture training centre is unparalleled in Australia. (Time expired)

House adjourned at 20:00