Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on National TAFE Day, and I want to give a shout-out to our amazing TAFE teachers and all of the people that work on our TAFE campuses. They have an incredible job to do to make sure that the next generation of people working in key industries have the skills that they need. They are also helping and supporting people who might be career-changing into their industry. Quite often our TAFE teachers are from the industry themselves and are so passionate about their industry that they sidestep into TAFE to make sure that people have the skills that they need. But they too have some concerns about being caught in insecure work, casualisation and low pay.

We haven't done enough, not just in this place but in our state jurisdictions, to make sure that our TAFE teachers have a good-quality job and that they continue to get the recognition and respect that they deserve in their industry. That is why this government has worked so hard to fix bargaining laws and to make sure that our TAFE teachers get a good outcome.

Thank you to our TAFE teachers for what you do. Thank you to their union, the AEU, for what they do in terms of advocacy and bringing their concerns to us. I really respect the TAFE teachers across our country but particularly in my electorate of Bendigo because I know the hard work that they do each and every day.