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

My question is to the Minister for Skills and Training. How is the Albanese Labor government working with states and territories, in particular Victoria, to roll out fee-free TAFE and VET and to tackle the skills shortages the government inherited?

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Jagajaga for her question and her strong support for TAFE not only in her electorate but across the country. Last week I joined the member for Jagajaga at Melbourne Polytechnic in Heidelberg to meet students who have enrolled in fee-free TAFE courses for this year. We met with students and apprentices in waterproofing, carpentry, electrical and locksmithing. We also met the hardworking teachers and support staff who help mentor the next generation.

While there, the member for Jagajaga and I spoke with Natalie, one of the few female locksmith teachers in Australia. After completing her locksmithing course back in 2004, Natalie decided to return to Melbourne Polytechnic in 2018 to teach, to inspire and to support the next generation of locksmiths. According to Natalie, locksmithing is a wonderfully old and beautiful trade with a great career pathway, but, like most other trades, it is, of course, changing as a result of technology. Locksmithing isn't just about locks and safes; it's also focused on emerging areas such as electronic security. In TAFEs all over Australia we find people, like Natalie, dedicated to supporting the next generation of tradespeople. Like them, Natalie is a great advocate for vocational education and training, and someone who's focused on highlighting the many benefits of VET, with employment into good, secure and rewarding jobs.

According to the OECD, Australia has the second-highest labour supply shortage per capita in the developed world. Last year, the number of occupations on the national Skills Priority List almost doubled, going from 153 to 286 occupations. That's why it's so critical we see enrolment in the 180,000 fee-free TAFE places this year: so we can ensure that workers have the skills that are in demand, that businesses have the skills they're crying out for and that our economy has the skills it needs to grow.

The Albanese government is taking a collaborative approach by working with all state and territory governments. Late last year we signed eight separate agreements with states and territories to deliver these enrolments, and, as I have been advised, there's been some very good progress in terms of enrolments. For those listening, if you're interested in getting new skills or reskilling and moving into other areas, particularly areas of demand, I invite you to consider enrolling into these courses.

Along the way, during the course of this year, as those places are being filled and people are acquiring skills, we'll be negotiating a five-year national skills agreement with state and territory governments to ensure we have reforms in the VET sector, a sector that needs to deliver the skills that our economy demands.