Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over the years, TAFE has served a critical role in ensuring that Australia has the necessary skills to build a strong economy. In doing so, TAFE created new opportunities for millions of Australians by reskilling them. Regrettably, over recent years conservative federal and state governments have cut billions of dollars of funding from TAFE. Because of the cuts, campuses have closed and courses have been abolished, nowhere more so than in South Australia, where this week the TAFE boss revealed that industry groups including child care, aged care and disability services have raised concerns about the cuts and the quality of training from the private training sector. About 20 TAFE SA courses are being scrapped this year and will be privatised.

I accept that there are some good private training providers. However, at a time when the economy is rapidly changing, when Australia is facing many skills shortages across so many sectors and when we need to rebuild after the COVID crisis, it makes no sense for the South Australian Marshall government to dismantle the most credible and affordable VET provider we have, particularly after the widespread rorting by private training providers exposed over recent years. It seems the South Australian Marshall government has learned nothing and is obsessed by its privatisation ideology.