Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I love TAFE, and so do people in my communities on the New South Wales South Coast. Today, on National TAFE Day, I want to send a shout-out to my local TAFE campuses, at Nowra, Ulladulla, Batemans Bay and Moruya, and to the mighty TAFE teachers and staff, local employers and TAFE communities, who make our TAFE great. Thank you!

I was a TAFE teacher for over a decade before entering parliament, so I'm acutely aware of the differences that TAFE can make in people's lives. TAFE offers wonderful pathways for people of all ages to explore career directions, to pursue their interests, to prepare for a job, to upskill or to complete apprenticeship training. With TAFE the possibilities are endless. That's why I'm delighted to be part of the Albanese government, which understands the importance of TAFE.

Our fee-free TAFE in skills-shortage industries, like construction, hospitality, aged care and more, is making a massive difference, and I'm pleased to say we've seen numbers boom in these courses. That is good for local employers and our communities. In fact, we've already seen over 214,000 enrolments occur under Labor's fee-free TAFE so far, and we're working with the states and territories to provide a further 300,000 fee-free TAFE places. On a recent trip to TAFE, I was told by a student, 'If it wasn't for fee-free TAFE, I wouldn't be here.' Where could fee-free TAFE take you? Happy National TAFE Day!