Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll start where I finish—with network embedded storage at large and small scales and with electric vehicles. I am so proud to be part of a Labor government that is backing Australians to get training, to get jobs and to build their skills—the skills that our economy and our nation need. I am very proud to be part of a Labor government that is backing not just employment but good, secure employment. It's setting people up for jobs in those priority areas, so that people can make the things that we need to make, care for the people that we care about and build the houses that we need to make housing more affordable in this country.

This bill supports the administration of a VSL program, which is making vocational education and training more accessible to all Australians. As the Minister for Skills and Training said:

Our investment in Free TAFE and getting more apprentices into the workforce is testament to our commitment to ensure every Australian has an opportunity to attain higher education which leads to good, secure jobs.

When we look at what the Albanese government has been doing in the vocational education space and compare it to what we've seen from those across the chamber, the contrast couldn't be starker. We are investing in VET. We are investing in the future skills our country needs. And they, the opposition, have only been focused on taking down the cost of living.

Ash Ambihaipahar (Barton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in strong support of the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025. That might sound technical in nature, but it is in fact deeply grounded in fairness, integrity and opportunity. This bill goes to the heart of something deeply important to the people of Barton and to communities right across our wonderful country: ensuring that vocational education remains accessible, accountable and very much trusted.

In my electorate, families know the value of vocational education and training. Our nurses, aged-care workers, tradespeople, early-childhood educators, hospitality staff and emerging innovators are the backbone of our local economy and the backbone of our nation. When we invest in VET, we invest in our future workforce, in economic growth and in giving Australians—particularly young Australians, career changers and parents re-entering the workforce—a genuine pathway to skills and dignity through secure work. That is exactly what this Albanese Labor government is doing. But with investment comes responsibility to ensure our VET system is fair, transparent, modern and worthy of public trust. That's why this bill matters.

Let me be very clear about what this legislation does and why it's absolutely necessary. During a review of the administration of VET student loans, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identified that VET student loan providers had historically handled students' tax file numbers, even though that authority was not clearly set out in the VET Student Loans Act 2016. Now, I want to be absolutely clear—for the public, for students, for parents and for institutions—this was not misused. This was not misconduct. There were no student complaints, no privacy breaches and no adverse impacts on students or repayments. Providers acted in good faith, in line with practice and administrative expectations. The handling of tax file numbers was necessary to verify students and ensure loans and repayments could occur through the tax system. However, the legislative authorisation for that handling was not explicit.

Our government believes in doing things properly. We do not sweep things—particularly administrative gaps—under the rug; we work towards fixing them. This bill does three simple but very important things. One, it retrospectively authorises the handling of tax file numbers by VET student loan providers from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2025. That gives providers and government offices legal certainty that their actions were valid and lawful. Two, it ensures that, from 1 October 2025, VET providers will no longer need to handle tax file numbers, because the government has now modernised the system, investing in secure digital automation to protect personal information. Three, it strengthens alignment between IT systems and legislation to safeguard privacy, improve modernisation and enhance trust in the VET student loans program. This is responsible, transparent and very considered policy-making. It fixes a gap, protects students, respects providers and strengthens public confidence.

This bill sits within a broader, principled Labor approach to vocational training that is grounded in restoring integrity to a system that was badly damaged by the previous coalition government. It was the former coalition government that oversaw the explosion of crooked private operators, the exploitation of vulnerable students, billions of dollars wasted and dodgy schemes targeting people hoping to build a better life. Students who were just looking to learn and prepare themselves for their careers were taken for an absolute ride. According to the Senate standing committee's report on VET student loans, a number of registered training organisations and their agents aggressively marketed courses to vulnerable people using high-pressure tactics including free laptops, claims of free training and guaranteed jobs. In turn, providers enrolled students into large loans for courses that were unnecessary for employment, had low completion rates or were of questionable relevance to the labour market. Not only did this create a huge liability for the Commonwealth but it damaged the reputation of the VET sector more broadly. And no wonder—it was dodgy, bad policy that hurt the most vulnerable in our community. Labor came in and cleaned it up through the VET Student Loans program. We are now continuing that work to make sure that the VET system remains trusted and strong. This bill reflects our approach: steady, responsible, student focused and forward looking.

For a loans system to function, trust matters. When taxpayers help fund a student's education, they deserve confidence that the system is fair, that repayments are handled accurately, that data is protected and that regulation keeps up with technology. This bill ensures that. It authorises, retrospectively and transparently, past handling of tax file numbers by approved providers, including TAFE and reputable registered training organisations. It also ensures that, from October this year, automated secure systems—not training providers—will handle tax file number transfers. This strikes the right balance, protecting students, maintaining loan integrity, supporting providers, complying with privacy rules and ensuring seamless loan administration. This is government doing its job, safeguarding integrity and modernising public systems responsibly.

The bill applies to current and former VET student loans providers, their staff—who handled tax file numbers in good faith—the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the Commissioner of Taxation, and relevant Commonwealth officers involved in administration. This does not give blanket immunity for wrongdoing. It validates legitimate administrative actions taken in good faith to support students. Strong privacy protections, security obligations, oversight mechanisms and criminal penalties for unauthorised disclosure remain in place.

VET is an economic imperative for our nation. Our workforce is rapidly evolving. We face skills shortages in nursing, aged care and disability support; shortages in construction, electrical trades, cybersecurity and tech; new industries emerging in advanced manufacturing, renewables and clean energy; and the growing need for retaining and upskilling as careers change. VET is the bridge between economic need and opportunity. VET student loans are a lifeline for thousands of Australians chasing skills and a better future.

In my electorate, the St George Kogarah TAFE campus and the administrative and teaching staff have been doing amazing work to upskill the next generation across various occupations. I must also highlight that I had the privilege of having the Treasurer and member for Rankin, Jim Chalmers, and the Minister for Skills and Training and member for Scullin, Andrew Giles, visiting the St George Kogarah TAFE campus, which has specialised facilities, such as simulated hospital settings. We had the opportunity to meet a number of students and teaching staff and learn more about their collaboration with local public hospitals, like the St George Hospital, to ensure we have the best-trained students to participate in our health sector.

Since July 2023, this government has invested $42.2 million to modernise the VET student loan system. This bill ensures that those investments land on a strong legislative foundation. It reminds me that TAFE campuses, like the St George TAFE in Kogarah and many more, are important assets in all of our communities. It ensures our students, our providers and our economy have stability and certainty.

This bill may be technical in nature, like I said earlier, but it has a purpose, a very clear purpose, and it is quite principled. It gives certainty and legal clarity to students, providers and governments to safeguard personal information and strengthen privacy, to modernise the VET loan system and to uphold integrity in education, which is one of the great enablers of Australia's prosperity and aspiration.

To every student in Barton and across this nation: we are building an education system worthy of your dreams. We will always defend your right to learn, to grow and to build a future with dignity and purpose. I commend the bill to the House.

Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to address the House on the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025, a bill that strengthens our vocational education system, ensures the integrity of student loan administration and delivers certainty for students, providers and the Commonwealth alike. This bill is not a headline-grabbing measure but is one that matters deeply to those who trust our system to work as it should. It's a technical bill with a very human purpose—to make sure that every student who relied on the VET student loan program since its commencement in 2017 can do so with confidence in the law and confidence in their privacy.

Our government is taking steps to fix a problem identified during a review conducted in the previous term of government, a problem that goes to the heart of how VET student loans were administered and how tax file numbers were handled under the 2016 act. That review revealed that the VET Student Loans Act 2016 did not explicitly authorise loan providers to handle student tax file numbers for the purpose of administering those loans. While the practice had been long established and no evidence of misuse ever arose, the legislation itself has not kept pace with the system it was designed to govern. That is why the Albanese Labor government has brought forward this bill—to make sure that alignment between our IT systems and our law is restored and to provide certainty where uncertainty once stood. This bill retrospectively authorises the handling of students' tax file numbers by VET student loan providers for the purpose of administering the program from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2025. In doing so, it ensures that providers and Commonwealth officers alike can be confident that their past actions were lawful and necessary in the delivery of a program that has helped hundreds of thousands of Australians gain a qualification and build a career.

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has, since early 2025, made the technical changes required to modernise the system. The tax file numbers are now masked from providers and transferred automatically between relevant Commonwealth systems. That means, from 1 October 2025, providers will no longer need to handle TFNs at all. This is a simple but significant change, one that closes the loop between legislation, technology and practice. It is also a demonstration of what good governance looks like—identifying an administrative gap, consulting with providers, building a solution and enshrining it in law. A tax file number is not a small piece of information. It is the key that connects a student's loan to their future earnings and their repayment through the tax system. Without it, the integrity of the entire loan repayment framework could be compromised. So this bill recognises that reality—that a TFN is for accurate tracking, for fairness to taxpayers and for confidence in the system. At the same time, it ensures that personal data is handled with the utmost care and respect for privacy law and community expectation.

It is important to note there's never been a student complaint about the handling of TFNs in the VET Student Loans program since its commencement in 2017. That is not by accident. It is because providers have been operating under strict security controls and integrity safeguards from the outset. Those safeguards include compliance with use and disclosure provisions under the VET Student Loans Act, rigorous approval processes to become an approved provider and mandatory notification of any data breach involving student information. The bill before us does not remove or weaken these safeguards; it cements them and confirms that they were lawfully applied from the beginning. It will apply to all current and former VET student loan providers and their officers who handled students' TFNs in good faith to administer loan applications and repayments prior to 1 October 2025. It will also cover the Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the Commissioner of Taxation and other Commonwealth officers involved in the process. In other words, this bill draws a clear line under the past and sets a clear standard for the future.

The department has communicated with providers throughout this process, keeping them informed about the IT changes, about the policy intent and about this legislation. This has been an example of good-faith collaboration between government and industry, the kind of practical problem-solving that is too often overlooked but which keeps our systems running smoothly. Behind every technical fix like this are real students, real trainers and real providers trying to get on with the job of building skills and careers.

For those listening who might not be familiar with what a VET Student Loans provider is, they are registered training organisations approved by the Australian government to deliver VSL-approved courses. That includes our TAFEs, the bedrock of Australian skills and training, and also private colleges that meet the standards set by the Commonwealth. Together, they make up the network that trained electricians, nurses, childcare workers, fitters, technicians and hundreds of other skilled Australians who keep this country running. These are the people training the next generation of workers for the renewable energy sector, for aged care, for construction and manufacturing—industries that define the economy of tomorrow. The bill before us commences the day after it receives royal assent, but its provisions will apply retrospectively from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2025, a clear and comprehensive window covering the life of the program to date.

The department at first learned of this problem through its routine review of how VET student loans were administered. Officials identified that the legislation did not clearly authorise the handling of tax file numbers by providers, despite the fact that the practice was necessary and well-controlled. The review recommended stronger alignment between relevant IT systems and the law, and that is precisely what we are now delivering. It is a measure of good administration that when issues are identified, they are addressed promptly and openly, and that is exactly what this government is doing.

The bill also formally authorises the department's past disclosure of TFNs to providers for the same lawful purpose. After 1 October 2025, no VET student loans provider will be authorised to handle a student tax file numbers, because the system will have fully transitioned to automated data transfer between Commonwealth agencies. That is a positive evolution. It protects privacy, simplifies administration and reduces risks for all involved. Since early 2025, the department has rolled out these updates to its IT systems, a modern approach to data security that meets the expectations of students today. This has been backed by a $42.2 million investment over four years to build a modernised VET student loans IT system, one that will be fully operational from 2026 and will strengthen every aspect of the program's administration. That new system will underpin faster assessments, smarter payments and stronger integrity, ensuring that public funds are well spent and students are well served.

For students, the impact of this bill is simple—continuity, certainty, confidence. The way students apply for a VET student loan will not change. They will continue to use the electronic Commonwealth assistance form, just as they do now. Their tax file number will continue to be required because it is the link between their loan and their tax record but they can be assured that is protected by modern IT architecture and clear legislative authority. If any student does have a concern about the use of their tax file number, they can contact the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, but I reiterate: such misuse has never been reported.

The VET Student Loans program is a cornerstone of our training system. It enables Australians to undertake vocational education and training without the immediate burden of upfront fees through an income contingent loan that is fair, accessible and sustainable. It means that a student in my electorate can enrol in a Elizabeth or Salisbury TAFE course today, gain a qualification, find a secure job and repay their loans through the tax system once they are earning a good income. That is how a fair society builds its skill base, by removing barriers to education and backing people to succeed.

The program also supports national priorities, addressing skills shortages and engineering, construction, health care and occupational licensing trades that are vital to our economic growth. It aligns training supply with industry demand, a practical example of how policy can serve both people and productivity. It ensures opportunities not just those for those who can afford it upfront but for everyone willing to work hard to build a career. Without programs like VET Student Loans, tens of thousands of Australians would never have had the chance to study a trade, a technical qualification or a diploma that changed their lives. And without those graduates, Australian businesses would be facing even greater skills shortages than they do today. That is why this bill is so important. It protects the integrity of a program that is central to our future.

Now, it would be fair to ask why VET student loans require such careful handling of tax file numbers when students in the higher education sector provide theirs routinely. The answer is that the VET Student Loans program and the Higher Education Loan Program are governed by different legislation, the VET Student Loans Act 2016 and the Higher Education Support Act 2003. Each framework has its own data-handling arrangements, and this bill ensures that the VSL framework is now as clear and as comprehensive as its counterpart in higher education. It brings consistency and certainty, both vital to the confidence of students and providers alike. In a broader sense, it also reflects the values of this government that integrity in public administration is non-negotiable and that every student has the right to know that their personal information is safe and their loan is secure.

There is nothing more fundamental to good government than accountability and trust. When people hand over their personal information, especially something as sensitive as a tax file number, they are placing their trust in a system that serves them. They trust that their data will be handled lawfully, used only for the purpose for which it was given and protected against misuse. They also trust that, if something goes wrong, their government will not hide from it but will act to put it right. That is precisely what this bill does. It acknowledges an administrative gap that should never have existed and closes its transparently, decisively and permanently. It ensures that neither providers nor students are left exposed because of a technical oversight in the original act.

This sends a clear message that, when issues arise, the Albanese Labor government deals with them head on, with honesty, integrity and action, and that, importantly, it does so without disruption to students, without cost to providers and without undermining the stability of the system. It restores confidence that, when you apply for a VET student loan, your data is protected and your loan is administered under clear, lawful authority. It also restores confidence to providers, who can continue to focus on what they do best: deliver quality education and training to the Australian workforce.

Vocational education and training is at the heart of the Future Made in Australia agenda. It is how we equip our people with the skills to fill the jobs of the future in the clean energy, advanced manufacturing, defence industry and care sectors. Programs like VET Student Loans make that possible by ensuring that cost is not a barrier to opportunity. This is particularly true for communities like those in Adelaide's north. In the electorate of Spence, where access to affordable training means access to local jobs and lifelong security, it means that a young person who starts welding at TAFE SA in Elizabeth can take up work in one of the growing defence and manufacturing facilities across northern Adelaide. It means that mature-age workers can reskill into emerging industries like renewable technologies or advanced manufacturing without being deterred by upfront fees. It means that our regional training providers can continue to deliver high-quality, industry-relevant courses, knowing that the student loan framework supporting them is sound.

I commend the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 to the House as a bill that strengthens our education system, protects our students and upholds the integrity of public administration in Australia. When we build trust in our systems, we build confidence in our institutions, and when we build confidence in our institutions, we build a stronger, fairer and more skilled nation. In closing, I have been the very good benefactor of a VET provided course. It gave me a 10-year career at sea that I loved, and I know, Deputy Speaker Small, that you are a man of the sea as well.

To all those young people out there who are considering what they do next after their year 12 exams over the coming weeks: there is nothing wrong with taking the pathway towards a trade. It is an honest job. It gives you a great sense of purpose. You'll be able to put a roof over your head and provide for your family. There's nothing shameful about that. There's only honour to be found in pursuing a trade, so get to it, everybody out there.

Ben Small (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Full ahead indeed!

Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 put forward by the Minister for Skills and Training, and I commend him for doing so. To build Australia's future, we need vocational education and training. We need VET to solve big national challenges in the labour market. There's no doubt we have a need for greater housing supply, for more workers in early education and aged care and for skilled technical workers to support the transition to net zero. That's right—net zero. That's because we on this side of the House actually believe in climate change and we want to prepare our country for a changing climate.

If we as a country are going to rise to these challenges, we need to ensure that the VET programs that support us are as strong as possible, that VET is accessible to people regardless of their means and that the programs supporting VET have the social licence to operate. Our work in this space started by putting TAFE back at the heart of Australia's vocational education and training sector. We did this because TAFE is vital for the next generation of skilled workers. For too long, students studied courses or undertook training that did not lead to secure jobs or the skills that employers need. Jobs and Skills Australia is the body established by this government to provide independent advice on workforce skills and training needs. This group quickly identified that we must address the disconnect between what students are studying now and where jobs and skills of the future will be. Since then, we have undertaken a massive piece of work to strengthen vocational education and training in Australia and to ensure that students are studying and training in the skills that will be vital for our future. This bill is another step in our broader efforts to ensure that Australia is equipped with the skilled workforce we will need for the future.

The bill before us is about ensuring that the VET Student Loans Act and the administration of the VET Student Loans program are aligned. Last year, the VET Student Loans program assisted more than 24,000 VET students to pay their student loans. VSL providers currently need to handle student tax file numbers, with TFNs being essential for ensuring students loan application details match with their ATO accounts. During a review of this program's administration, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identified that there wasn't a clear role in the legislation for VSL providers to handle students TFNs. The bill before us today clarifies the basis for this necessary practice and, in this way, ensures the program remains compliant while being accessible to students.

So, in essence, this bill is about two things. It's about safeguarding student loans for VET students, and it's about strengthening confidence in government by paying attention to detail and making sure every process is up to standard. The VET Student Loans program is an important part of the education policy landscape in Australia. It commenced in 2017 and was passed with bipartisan support. It was an overhaul of the previous system, strengthening integrity and oversight and restoring confidence and trust in loans for VET students. Since this program was implemented, more than 324,000 VET students have accessed loans. That's 324,000 VET students trained in trades, technical skills, engineering, nursing, early childhood education and more. That's 324,000 more opportunities to help build Australia's future and critical skills.

This bill, which addresses a misalignment between the program's legislation and its administration, is important for a number of reasons. It strengthens the administration of the VET Student Loans program, a program that has been and will continue to be instrumental in building the skilled workforce Australia needs. VET student loans make vocational education and training more accessible to Australians and ensure that Australia has enough skilled workers to meet industry demand and address skills shortages across critical industries.

A study conducted by Jobs and Skills Australia last year confirmed that many of Australia's current job shortages in trades, care and education roles rely on the VET system and its workforce to teach and train future workers. Australia has persistent shortages in tradies and technicians, as well as community and personal service workers, including aged-care workers, disability support workers, childcare workers and nurses. As we strive to increase housing supply, care for our ageing population and ensure that our children receive the best start in life, these workers will be even more critical. For the future of our country, it's imperative that we ensure that the supply meets the demand for these workers, and safeguarding our VET Student Loans program, which gets people into VET courses regardless of their means, is a core piece of this puzzle.

But the importance of the VET Student Loans program doesn't end there. Trades are a really important part of my electorate of Gorton. More than 13 per cent of my constituents are technicians and tradies. More than 10 per cent of my constituents are machine operators and drivers. Another 10 per cent are labourers. And, at the last count, more than 3½ thousand of my constituents were studying in a vocational education institution.

Apprenticeships change lives. They connect students with employers, while building confidence and ambition. I recently visited CMV Truck & Bus in Derrimut with the Minister for Skills and Training and met a number of these amazing apprentices. CMV Truck & Bus have a fantastic program supporting 103 diesel mechanic apprentices across their operation, including 34 in Derrimut in my electorate. They're training the next generation of vehicle technicians. Free TAFE and good employers like CMV Truck & Bus make dreams like this a reality for so many young people in my community.

I previously worked in education policy. We reformed the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning to become the VCE Vocational Major, providing students with practical skills, hands-on experience and a pathway to further education. Bringing this pathway into the VCE was much more than a name change or a rebrand. It reformed the curriculum to ensure that there was an option within VCE that focuses on vocational and applied learning.

We have some incredible school based VET programs as well, we students are taking up hands-on subjects like automotive, engineering studies, building and construction, hair and beauty, and so much. I recently visited Catholic Regional College in Sydenham, a fantastic local school in my electorate that has a VET hospitality program and a VET food processing program. Their teachers and kitchen facilities at the school are incredible. They're able to provide commercial catering at local events through these student programs. They're learning the hands-on skills while they're still completing school so that they can go on to do TAFE or go straight into work. CRC Sydenham also has a great VET Salon Assistant program and has offered me a haircut one of these days, which I'm very much looking forward to. CRC is just one example, but there are so many schools in the western suburbs of Melbourne that have embedded the need for hands-on learning in everything they do. This sets our students up for success in whatever they choose to do.

This bill, which ensures confidence in our VET Student Loans program, is part of Labor's larger commitment to education. Labor is the party of quality and accessible education, and in our commitment to education we're leaving no stone unturned. We've locked in 100,000 free TAFE places each year, from 2027. We've cut 20 per cent off all student debts, and we'll raise the minimum repayment threshold    so that repayments are lower and only kick in when you earn more.

Our 20 per cent reduction of student debts will benefit VET students in particular, applying to more than 280,000 VET Student Loans and Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan accounts. It'll cut more than $500 million from VET Student Loans and Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan balances, giving VET students a leg-up when they enter the workforce. We're working on all levels of education. We're committing $16½ billion to fully fund all public schools over the next 10 years, tied to real and practical reforms. We've legislated paid prac payments for teaching students to help with the cost of placements. We're giving early education and care workers a pay rise. We're subsidising additional hours of care for about 100,000 families under the three-day childcare guarantee. And we're putting TAFE back at the centre of Australia's vocational education and training sector.

We passed the Free TAFE Bill, which has seen more than 685,000 enrolments in free TAFE. The Leader of the Opposition famously said, 'When you don't pay for something, you don't value it.' Tell that to the 685,000 people taking up free TAFE around Australia. Tell that to the 1,420 apprentices in my electorate who are in training, right now, thanks to free TAFE. They include my husband Chris, who was able to make a career change later in life as a result of Labor's free TAFE. He's a mature-age electrical apprentice who studies at Victoria University in Sunshine a day a week while completing his apprenticeship with a third-generation small business called Rizzo Electrical in Airport West.

Free TAFE is life-changing for so many families, including mine. Frankly, it shows how out of touch those opposite really are. They voted against training more tradies to build the houses we need for our growing communities. They voted against the cost-of-living relief that free TAFE provides for so many Australians, particularly in the outer suburbs. They are out of touch with the needs and interests of suburban families, while we on this side of the House are doing everything we can to help Australians get better jobs with higher wages and give educational opportunities to Australians that would otherwise miss out.

Labor is the party of education and we are building on our commitment to education with this bill. The bill is important because it works towards ensuring the administration of crucial programs like the VET Student Loans program is compliant and administered with integrity. We know that trust in government isn't where it should be. It's been eroded over the last decade when those opposite were in government—those opposite, who presided over robodebt; those opposite, whose former leader swore himself into five additional ministries during his term without even informing his own cabinet, much less the public; and who voted against things that are making a real difference to Australians, like energy bill relief, cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, and cheaper health care.

When the Albanese Labor government came to power in 2022, we promised Australians we would make government work for them, not the other way around—no more secrecy, no more scandal—and we have delivered key pieces of legislation to give Australians confidence that government does work for them, that our democracy is by the people, for the people, as it was intended. We have created the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the first of its nature in Australia's history. We strengthened protections for public sector whistleblowers. We have committed to releasing an annual report on trust in the Public Service to increase transparency and trust in public servants. We are delivering on the things Australians care about—cost of living, housing and education, Medicare—and putting real outcomes for Australians first. With this bill, we are ensuring the programs and processes that bring out real outcomes for Australians are compliant and administered with integrity, down to the very last detail.

The bill before us today speaks to who we are as a Labor government. We are a government that pays attention to detail, that acts on advice from the Public Service, that knows the importance of integrity and transparency in everything we do, that wants to build confidence and improve trust in government, and wants to earn that trust by doing right by Australians. We are a government that invests in Australians—our people—unlike the opposition, who believe that if you don't pay for something, you don't value it. We know that when we invest in our people, our society, our economy and our future all benefit, many times over. We are a government that cares about what makes a real difference to the lives of Australians—cost of living measures, Medicare, affordable housing—and a government that knows the transformative quality of access to education, not just for individuals but for all of Australia. I commend the bill to the House.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 we are considering is important because vocational educational training plays a huge role in building the skilled workforce Australia needs now and will need in the future. We are taking steps to fix a problem identified during a review of how these VET student loans are administered. We have taken action to ensure an issue that emerged is resolved, and that there is certainty the students and providers. The bill is a fix for where the VET student loan providers were handling tax file numbers and it wasn't authorised in the legislation for that to happen. Tax file numbers are an essential piece of information for administering the loans program of this kind, so this is why the Albanese government is bringing forward the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill to fix the problem.

The bill will retrospectively authorise the student loan providers who are handling the tax file numbers to do that. The bill will also provide certainty to providers and government offices that their past handling of students' tax file numbers for the loans scheme was lawful. There is absolutely no change to the way students apply for VET student loans using the electronic Commonwealth assistance form.

This might seem like a pretty minor piece of legislation but it achieves a number of things. It underpins the VET Student Loans program, which makes vocational education and training more accessible to Australians by providing opportunities for students to do a VET course at the diploma level and above and defer the payment of tuition fees through an income contingent loan. This program really helps to address skills shortages across industries involving science, technology, engineering or maths and occupational licensing trades, among many others.

The Albanese Labor government is building Australia's future and boosting the workforce that we need to deliver it. We're investing in priority occupations and creating a modern, adaptable apprenticeship system, which is critical to the nation's future prosperity and productivity. Without programs such as the VET Student Loans, many students wouldn't have the opportunity to undertake tertiary studies. Australian businesses and the economy would miss out on those skills that VET students and alumni bring to all our industries. It's worth thinking about the number of people who are doing apprenticeships. If I look at my own electorate of Macquarie, there are nearly 1,800 students currently undertaking training in the VET scheme. I should point out my neighbours have pretty good levels, too. In Lindsay, there are 2,365 people. These are the most recent figures for the last year of people doing training. My neighbour to the north, the Hunter, has 3,500 people. Calare to my west has nearly 3,000 people. Those are significant numbers.

The top 20 list of TAFE enrolments also tells a story. The second highest on that list is the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, and this is the data for New South Wales. Wentworth Falls in my electorate offers that course, and it is terrific to see how many people are taking it up. Also on that list is the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, also taught at Wentworth Falls. Both of those are vital for providing the staff we need for our early education centres, because kids need to have really qualified educators to take them through those very formative years. I also note that Certificate IV in mental health and Certificate IV in Entrepreneurship and New Business both make it into the top 20 courses in New South Wales, and that is a really good sign for future employers. It shows what young people and maybe older people are interested in pursuing. I also note that, when I look at the key sectors, the top two courses in the agricultural sector are Certificate II in Animal Care and Certificate III in Horticulture, and both of these are courses offered by the wonderful Richmond TAFE.

The key to the revival of TAFE has been free TAFE. Only Labor is the party that believes in free TAFE; those opposite do not. Delivering cost-of-living relief and valuable skills to Australians is a priority for the Albanese government, which is why we passed the free TAFE bill, as well as announcing the $10,000 incentive payment for Australians who want to become a housing apprentice. So let's talk about free TAFE. There have been more than 685,000 enrolments under free TAFE. That's 685,000 opportunities to help build Australia's future in critical skills, like the care and disability courses, which have seen more than 186,000 enrolments. In technology and digital, there have been more than 65,000 enrolments. The total figure for the early-childhood education and care sector has been more than 53,000 enrolments. And that shows where people are picking up. I should point out that, under free TAFE, a student training in Cert III in Early Childhood Education and Care in New South Wales can save up to an estimated $1,930 dollars in their training. That is absolutely cost-of-living relief. There are also more than 52,000 apprentices in construction courses, with that number set to grow thanks to the investment in more places in such an important sector. I note that, in the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains, the construction sector will be feeling the benefit of this. The construction industry has the largest number of total registered businesses in the Hawkesbury, part of my electorate, comprising nearly 30 per cent of the total. The construction industry in the Blue Mountains is nearly 20 per cent of all registered businesses. Emu Plains, of course, has its fair share of construction businesses, like PAAL homes, who I visited earlier this year. So workers for this sector are essential, and cost shouldn't be a barrier. We have given special focus to the housing sector because of the catching up that we have to do to have enough workers to meet the additional housing supply and make up for what hasn't been done in the past decade or so.

Cutting 20 per cent of student debt also applies to those who have incurred fees as vocational education and training students. The one-off reduction to student debts will apply to more than 280,000 VET students and Australian apprenticeship support loan accounts, which represents about seven per cent of all income-contingent loan accounts that are administered by the government. This measure to cut 20 per cent of debt is going to get rid of more than $500 million from the loan balances of VET students and apprentices. That's a big figure. It's great to be able to provide that sort of relief to people.

There are a couple of ways we've really incentivised apprentices to work in the housing sector. The additional $10,000 in financial incentives that kicked in from 1 July is one of those. That is our Key Apprenticeship Program, which includes a housing construction apprenticeship stream. We've also extended by six months, to the end of this year, the Australian apprentice training support payment and priority hiring incentive, which is providing up to $5,000 to apprentices and employers in priority occupations. Plus there's an increase to the living-away-from-home allowance from July this year, which helps apprentices who need to relocate for their apprenticeship. I know apprentices value the opportunity to learn and earn at the same time and that they appreciate the training that they receive both off and on the job, but we know that they do experience cost-of-living pressures and so I'm very pleased to see the steps that we are taking.

The final thing I'd like to point to is the overall investment that we have made and the overall impact it's having. Data from the national VET data custodian, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, shows that apprentice numbers are up under the Albanese Labor government in comparison to 2019 figures. Those are the pre-COVID figures. We need to be fair about this. The government is investing $1.4 billion in supporting apprenticeships over 2025-26. In the last financial year, more than 62,000 employers and 119,000 apprentices have received incentive payments. The data is showing that our strategy to rebalance the apprenticeship system towards priority occupations that are critical to our current and future workforce needs is working. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.