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

The VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 addresses a technical but important issue in the administration of our vocational education loan system. It ensures that students, training providers and the government all have the clarity and confidence that they deserve in the operation of the VET Student Loans program. This is a responsible and necessary measure that fixes a problem identified during a review. It provides certainty to the sector, and it strengthens the integrity of a system that supports tens of thousands of Australians to gain new skills and qualifications. Vocational education is a highly valued resource in my community, and much of this important work to upskill workers is happening in north-eastern Melbourne, in my electorate of Jagajaga, thanks to some really important investments from our Labor government.

Income-contingent student loans for vocational education and training students were first introduced under the Rudd Labor government in 2008 under the VET FEE-HELP scheme. That allowed VET providers to handle student tax file numbers, as those identifiers are essential to linking students' loans with their Australian Taxation Office accounts. In 2017, the VET Student Loans program replaced the VET FEE-HELP scheme. It brought in stronger integrity requirements and a new legislative framework: the VET Student Loans Act 2016. However, the new legislation did not explicitly provide a role for VSL providers to handle tax file numbers, even though the IT systems that supported the program continued to operate as they had under the previous framework.

During a review of the program, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identified this misalignment between the legislation and the technology platforms that manage loan applications and data. This bill ensures that the law will now match what has occurred in practice. It retrospectively authorises the handling of students' tax file numbers by approved VSL providers for the purpose of administering student loans. This retrospective authorisation will apply from 1 January 2017, when the program commenced, until 30 September 2025, when final system updates fully removed the need for providers to handle tax file numbers. Put simply, this bill provides legal certainty that past actions that were taken in good faith to administer student loans were lawful.

While this bill deals with the past, it also ensures confidence for the future. Throughout 2025, the department has implemented system updates to mask tax file numbers from providers and automate their secure transfer between the student interface and government systems. This means that from 1 October 2025, providers will no longer handle tax file numbers at all. These are important reforms that strengthen privacy and reduce the administrative burden for training providers while maintaining integrity and accuracy in the loan system. I also want to assure members and students in my community that no students have been adversely affected by the past handling of tax file numbers and that the department has received no complaints relating to this issue since the program began in 2017.

This bill is all about certainty and integrity, but I also think it's about something broader. It's about the value that our government places on skills and training, and the work we are trying to do to continue to build a robust TAFE and training system that is giving Australians the best possible future and the best possible chance at a good future with the job and the skills they need. We know, on this side, that free TAFE is delivering real opportunity right around the country. It's helping hundreds of thousands of Australians to gain the skills they need while also strengthening our workforce in key industries. That's why I continue to be surprised that those opposite have free TAFE on the chopping block.

Despite having recently gone to an election where it was wholeheartedly endorsed by my electorate and others, despite the results we see through our TAFE and training sector—where people are getting the skills they need to get good jobs, where we are filling workforce shortages right around our country in key industries—the Leader of the Opposition and her colleagues continue to come into this place, and go out to the community, and oppose Australians getting the skills they want for the jobs we need. I was here in the last parliament when the Leader of the Opposition said: 'It's a key principle and tenet of the Liberal Party: if you don't pay for something, you don't value it.'

I want to be very clear. Our government does not see it that way. We believe in opportunity. We believe that every Australian, no matter their background or their postcode, deserves the chance to learn, to upskill, to work and to build a better life for themselves and their families. We believe that education should open doors, not close them—that skills and knowledge are the great equalisers of our society. The truth is, as the Prime Minister has said, that, no matter how far TAFE helps you climb or what opportunities it opens for you and your family, the Liberals and Nationals will always look down on the very education that gave you that lift. We do not see it in this way. That is the difference. This opportunity to help people to get these skills, to get the future that they deserve, is what drives and defines our government: helping Australians now while also building for the future.

I'm really pleased to see how this is playing out in my electorate in north-eastern Melbourne. We have a number of excellent TAFEs and vocational institutions locally that have for many years been playing a vital role in creating opportunity and that I know are feeling reinvigorated by this government's focus on skills and training and by the investments we are making in this.

Mary Aldred (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unfortunately we don't have a quorum, so I have to suspend proceedings. The chair will be resumed when a quorum is present.

Sitting suspended from 18:21 to 18:24

(Quorum formed)

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

As I was saying, in my community I certainly know that these skills are very much valued, and the investment in TAFEs is very much valued. We are fortunate to have Melbourne Polytechnic campuses in both Greensborough and West Heidelberg. I've visited these many times, and I often hear from students about the quality of the education and support they receive. The Centre of Excellence at Melbourne Polytechnic's West Heidelberg campus is already upskilling locals in Jagajaga and across Melbourne in critical and emerging industries. This includes targeted training in affordable and environmentally sustainable construction techniques. I was talking earlier about how our investment is helping to fill skills shortages, and this is really about us using these skills and using this investment, not just to give young people and other people the skills and training they need but also to deliver on our national housing needs, which is obviously especially timely given the significant housing investments we are making.

By allowing these students at these facilities in my electorate and, as I said, right around Australia to defer the cost of their tuition until they earn a sufficient income, this program opens the door to opportunities for thousands of Australians every year. Without it, many would not be able to study at all and our businesses and communities would lose the benefits of a skilled and qualified workforce. That is why this bill and the broader work we are doing are so important in making sure we have a system that operates in a strong, transparent way and is set up to deliver for our country now and into the future.

So I'm really pleased that this bill is fixing a technical issue that arose from the transition between the two loan schemes, providing students and providers with the certainty they deserve. But I'm also really pleased that as a government we are putting such a focus on skills and training. I get to see frequently, as I said, what a difference that makes in my community. I always love meeting particularly the construction apprentices at the West Heidelberg site and learning from them about the opportunities they see in their future and learning from their instructors about how important they know the work is.

So we as a Labor government are opening up these doors to opportunity for everyone. We are saying that this is not about how much money you earn, this is not about your background; this is an opportunity for every Australian to get the skills they need in order to get a good job and to help us as a country to build the workforces we need. So I'm very pleased to be speaking on this bill and to be supporting this bill and our government's broader work in skills and training. Thank you.

David Moncrieff (Hughes, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On this side of the House we believe in technical education. We believe in equipping Australians with the skills they need to succeed in their futures. Those opposite don't believe in TAFE; they don't believe in the skills sector. On this side of the House we believe in making TAFE more affordable. That's why we've drastically expanded access to fee-free TAFE right across the country.

Those opposite say that if you don't pay for something you don't value it. Well, in May, Australians showed that they disagree. They elected a government that believes that Australians value bulk-billing, even when they don't pay for it, because it keeps Australians healthy and working. They elected a government that believes that Australians value getting 20 per cent off their student loans because it lessens financial burdens that keep young people out of homeownership. They elected a government that believes that Australians value investments in TAFE and investments in Australian skills because of the value that skills add to the Australian economy.

The VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 represents additional recognition of the value of the skills sector. It's a bill that represents real certainty to students, training providers and the government alike. This legislation is about fixing a gap. It ensures that the Vocational Education and Training Student Loans Program—the system that helps tens of thousands of Australians train for essential jobs—continues to operate on firm and lawful footing. It matters to people right across my electorate of Hughes, from Liverpool to Menai to Ingleburn to Macquarie Fields. It matters to apprentices studying at the Loftus campus of TAFE Sutherland or TAFE Liverpool. It matters to the next generation of builders in Macquarie Fields and to parents returning to work after a break who rely on flexible vocational education to get ahead. It was fantastic to visit Macquarie Fields TAFE with Minister Giles, the Minister for Skills, and see all the members of our community who are learning new skills to help them get to the careers they want to achieve.

The VET Student Loans Program replaced the old VET FEE-HELP scheme in 2017. That change was necessary after widespread rorting of the old system. But during a review of how VET student loans were being administered it became clear that the 2016 legislation did not explicitly authorise providers to handle students' tax file numbers. The tax file numbers needed to match student loans to their tax account. That created a technical inconsistency between what the system was required to do to function and what the law actually said providers could do. Training providers had to collect TFNs to process loans, but the law had never given them the power to do so. This bill fixes that inconsistency and retrospectively authorises VET providers' handling of TFNs from the time the program commenced on 1 January 2017 through to 30 September 2025 when the IT systems of the department were able to remove the need for providers to handle TFNs altogether. This is not an additional loophole. It's not an additional power grab. This is just an alignment between the law and the technology that supports the vocational education system. It provides certainty to students, training providers and government officers who have done the right thing administering these loans in good faith.

With regard to why is this retrospective and privacy, this change has no impact on students' privacy rights. Since 2017, VET providers have been required to meet strict information security and integrity standards. They must notify the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations if there is any data breach. They face civil and criminal penalties for any misuse of personal information.

During a review of how VET student loans are administered, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identified that there was no clear role in the VSL act for VSL providers to handle TFNs and that stronger alignment between relevant IT systems and legislation was required for handling TFNs. Our government is taking steps to fix a problem identified during the review in the last term of government—that of how VET student loans, VSLs, were administered. We've taken action to ensure that this issue is resolved and that there is certainty for students and providers.

The bill is a fix for the issue of VSL providers handling tax file numbers when the VSL act of 2016 did not authorise it. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identified that there is no clear role for VSL providers to handle tax file numbers in the VET Student Loans Act 2016. A stronger alignment between relevant IT systems and legislation was required, and that's why this Albanese Labor government is bringing forward the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 to ensure that this alignment is fixed and this problem is resolved.

This bill will retrospectively authorise VET student loan providers handling of students' tax file numbers for administering the VET Student Loans program. This bill will also provide certainty to providers and government officers that their past handling of student TFNs, for administering the VET Student Loans program from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2025, was lawful. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has, since early 2025, made updates to relevant IT systems to mask tax file numbers from VSL providers and automate the transfer of tax file numbers between relevant systems, meaning that VSL providers no longer need to handle tax file numbers.

A tax file number is information that is essential for administering a loans program of this kind. This is because tax file numbers enable accurate tracking and repayment of VET student loans through the tax system. There will be no change to the way students apply for a VET student loan using electronic systems. There have been no VSL student complaints as a result of past tax file number handling practices for the purposes of the VSL program since it commenced. Providers have also been subject to security controls in the relevant IT systems and integrity safeguards to protect students' personal information. These safeguards include requirements for providers to comply with strict use and disclosure provisions that apply to vet information under the VSL Act, to undergo extensive approval processes to become an approved provider and to notify the department of any student related data breaches. These protections that have previously applied to VSL providers' handling of tax file numbers will continue to do so after the bill's commencement.

This bill will apply to all current and former VSL providers and their officers who have handled students' tax file numbers to administer their VSL loan applications and their VET student loans themselves prior to 1 October 2025. It also extends to other relevant persons, including the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations secretary, the Commissioner of Taxation and Commonwealth officers. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has communicated with VSL providers about the IT changes throughout the year and continues to communicate with providers about this bill.

This government is ensuring that there is certainty in this system and that no-one else will be affected by a problem of this kind in the future. This government is determined to ensure that TAFE has a future in this country. VET student-loan providers are registered training organisations approved by the Australian government to deliver VSL approved courses, including TAFE institutions and private colleges. This bill will be applied retrospectively to be in effect from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2025. This is a government that believes in the skills sector and, importantly, this is a government that is investing in the skills sector. I see the scepticism from the member for Goldstein. We know that they don't value things that they don't pay for, but we know that Australians do. And Australians voted for a government that wants to invest in TAFE, that wants to invest in skills, and that's what this bill is part of. This bill modernises the skills sector to ensure that it fits the situation as it exists, and it's another way that the Albanese Labor government is delivering for Australians and delivering for the future of our skills sector. I commend the bill to the House.

Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm really proud to stand here today to speak about the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025. It might sound like a mouthful, but it is a simple, commonsense fix that makes sure our vocational education and training loan system works the way it was supposed to. This bill is about making sure students and training providers have certainty. It's about cleaning up the technical issues in the law so that everything's being done to help students get their training loans properly and lawfully. It's about making sure our system continues to be safe, secure and fair. Now, this isn't one of those flashy bills that gets all the headlines. It doesn't come with a big new announcement or a big funding package, but it is still important because, when you're dealing with something as serious as people's education and personal information, you've got to make sure the system is rock solid. If you're a student taking out a VET student loan, you want to know your personal details are protected. If you're a training provider, you want to know that your rules are being followed and that you're following them. And if you're a taxpayer, you want to know that the system is fair, transparent and being managed correctly. That's exactly what this bill delivers.

To understand what this bill does, it helps people to look back at how the system started. Back in 2008, the government introduced a scheme called VET FEE-HELP. It gave vocational education students access to income-contingent loans, meaning they could study now and pay later when they were earning enough. It was supposed to be a good thing, and it ran under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, the same law that runs student loans for university students. Under that old scheme, training providers were allowed to handle students' tax file numbers, or TFNs, because they was needed to set up the loans and link them to the students' Australian Tax Office accounts. But, as we all remember, that scheme went badly off the rails.

A handful of dodgy private providers took advantage of this system, signing people up for useless courses, offering free laptops and fake incentives and pocketing millions in taxpayers' dollars. The victims were often everyday Aussies—people on low incomes, people trying to upskill and get back into the workforce, young people who were just starting out and people in rural and regional areas like mine in the Hunter who just wanted a fair go. The system lost trust, and the students lost out.

In 2017, the government replaced VET FEE-HELP with the VET Student Loans program. It was a complete overhaul. It brought in a whole new act, the Vet Student Loans Act 2016, with stricter rules, tighter controls and better protection for students and taxpayers. It weeded out the bad operators, made sure only quality providers could access the scheme and brought back a bit of faith in the vocational training system. But there was one small detail that slipped through the cracks. When the new act was written, it didn't clearly say that VET student loan providers were authorised to handle students' tax file numbers. The old system allowed it. The new one didn't mention it, but the IT system and the processes that linked the loans to the tax system stayed the same.

That has meant that, since 2017, providers have still been collecting and using TFNs while students applied for VET student loans, because you can't set up a student loan without a tax file number. It's what allows repayments to happen through the tax system once a student starts earning enough. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations picked up on this issue during a review. They realised that, while providers had been doing everything right in practice, the law hadn't kept up. There is no clear legal wording that allowed them to handle those TFNs under the VET Student Loan Act. So this bill fixes that problem. It retrospectively authorises approved VET student loans providers to have handled students' tax file numbers since the program began on 1 January 2017. It also covers government officials and agencies that were involved in administrating those loans, like the department, the Commissioner of Taxation and other Commonwealth officers.

In simple terms, the bill says that what providers and officials did to help students access VET loans was lawful. It gives everyone certainty and protects them from any potential legal issues that could have come up because of a small gap in the law. It's important to point out that this bill doesn't give providers any new powers. It doesn't let them collect or use tax file numbers in the future. In fact, it does the opposite. In 2025, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations updated the IT systems used to run the Vet Student Loans program. Those updates mean that, from September 2025, providers no longer needed to handle a tax file number at all. The system now automatically and securely transfers that information between the student and the government systems. The TFN is masked so providers can't see it, store it or use it.

This bill isn't about giving more access; it's about closing the gaps and strengthening privacy. It makes sure everything that's been done since 2007 is lawful and everything going forward is even more secure. Some people might hear the word retrospective and think, 'Hang on, what's going on here?' Retrospective laws should always be used carefully, and they should only ever be used to fix something that needs to be fixed and not to change the rules after the fact. That's what's happening here. This bill doesn't change anyone's rights. It doesn't remove any protections. It doesn't let anyone off the hook. What it does, though, is confirm that everything that's already been done under the VET Student Loans program has been done properly and lawfully. It gives certainty to students, providers and the government.

It's worth noting that, since the program started in 2017, there haven't been any complaints from students about how tax file numbers were handled. There's been no evidence of misuse or privacy breaches. That's because the system has always had strong protections in place. Approved providers have to go through a detailed approval process before they can even offer VET student loans. Their directors and senior staff are checked to make sure they're fit and proper people to run a training business. They have to meet ongoing compliance requirements. If they misuse personal information, or fail to protect it, they face serious civil and criminal penalties. They also have to notify the department if there's ever a data breach.

These rules have been there since day one, and they're staying in place. Nothing in this bill weakens them. It just makes sense that everything is now legally watertight and in line with how systems operate. When we talk about fixing systems like this, it's about more than just tidying up paperwork. It's about trust. It's about showing that government is paying attention, that we're fixing the things that need to be fixed and that we're not afraid to clean up problems that have been sitting there for years.

We all remember what went wrong under the old VET FEE-HELP system. There were rorts. There were scams, and huge amounts of taxpayer dollars were wasted. People were signing up to courses they didn't even know they were in. Some of the stories were absolutely heartbreaking. Labor fixed that mess by replacing it with a better, stronger and more transparent system, and we've continued to make sure it keeps improving. This bill is part of that work.

It's not about rewriting the rules; it's about confirming that the existing rules have been followed and are solid and lawful. It gives students confidence that their personal information was handled properly. It gives providers confidence that they've done the right thing. And it gives the public confidence that the VET student loan system is being managed with integrity.

Every year, thousands of Australians rely on vocational education and training to build better lives for themselves. They're the people training to be electricians, mechanics, childcare workers, aged-care workers, chefs, welders, boilermakers and hospitality staff, or maybe even fitters like me. They're the backbone of this country and the people that keep things running. In regions like mine, across the Hunter, vocational training is a huge lifeline. It's how people get their start. It's how industries find skilled workers, and it's how local communities keep growing. When we make sure the system behind that training is strong and fair, we're investing in those people.

The Albanese Labor government has been clear that we're backing skills and training. We've delivered hundreds of thousands of fee-free TAFE places so that cost isn't a barrier for people who want to study. We've worked with the states and territories on a new National Skills Agreement that puts TAFE right at the heart of the system. We're investing in modern training facilities and better equipment. We're rebuilding trust in vocational education because we know how vital it is for Australia's future workforce, and this bill is part of that story.

It's a small fix but a hugely important one. It's about making sure the system works as it should behind the scenes, so students and providers can focus on what really matters: learning, training and building a future. It's also worth noting that this bill doesn't cost anything. It doesn't change the way students apply for their loans. The Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form, or eCAF, will keep working exactly the same way as it does now. The difference now is that, behind the scenes, everything is properly aligned between the IT systems and the legislation.

This bill also protects the integrity of government officers who were doing their jobs in good faith. It makes sure that officials in the department, or the tax office, who helped process these loans weren't unknowingly breaching the law because of a gap in some wording. It provides legal certainty and peace of mind that everyone was operating properly. And I want to make something else clear: Commonwealth officers are bound by the same standards and laws as always. They must continue to follow the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act and the Public Service Act. Nothing in this bill changes those obligations for any of them.

In summary, this bill fixes a problem identified in the administration of the VET Student Loans Program. It aligns the legislation with how the system is actually meant to be operated. It provides retrospective authorisation that providers and officials are protected. It strengthens privacy protections. It doesn't change the way students apply. It doesn't give anyone any new powers. And it gives confidence and certainty to everyone involved. This is good, practical government. It's what happens when you pay attention, listen to the experts and take the time to fix the small things that keep the system running smoothly. The VET Student Loans Program is an important part of Australia's education system. It helps people to get skilled, find work and build a better life. It deserves to operate on strong, clear and lawful foundations. And that's exactly what this bill delivers.

Investing in skills is one of the smartest things a government can do. It builds our workforce, it supports small local business as well as large business in this country, it gives people pride and purpose, and it helps communities like mine in the Hunter to thrive. We want every Australian, no matter where they live or what their background is, to have the chance to study, train and succeed. The VET Student Loans Program helps make that possible, and this bill makes sure it will continue to run properly and securely.

While it may look like a small technical measure, it has huge impacts. It keeps the system strong, it protects students, it reassures providers and it ensures that the law reflects what is happening in the real world. That is why I'm proud to support the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025. It's another step in strengthening our training system, backing Australian students and doing what good governments should do: fix problems properly and make things work better. I commend the bill to the House.

Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today in support of the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025. I don't think it is possible to understate just how important vocational education is. To put it simply, it changes lives, giving students career paths, helping them gain skills and confidence, and opening doors that might otherwise be closed to so many. It is also absolutely vital to ensure the effective running of our country. From tradies to childcare workers, from nurses to baristas and even graphic designers and HR workers, there are endless possibilities available through TAFE and private vocational education providers. The VET FEE-HELP scheme has helped to make these careers possible for so many people, deferring costs—the same as for the university system—and supporting students with income-contingent loans. Many could not go to TAFE without this. Education would simply be out of reach. So it is absolutely vital that the systems and processes that make this possible are fit for purpose and clear for all.

The VET Student Loans legislation has been in place since 2017. During a review, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identified an issue with how VET student loans were administered. The issue related to the handling of student tax file numbers and showed that there was no clear role for VET student loan providers to handle them. We are taking action to fix that today, and I am really pleased about that—applying the new rules retrospectively to ensure that there is continuity and clarity in how the law should be applied.

At the same time, the department has been working on its back-end IT systems to mask tax file numbers and automate their transfer between relevant systems. This bill will make the previous handling of tax file numbers lawful while also making that unnecessary and restricted in the future, streamlining the process and ensuring that the loans can be administered properly. I want to stress that providers have always been subject to security controls and integrity safeguards in order to protect students' personal information. These protections and safeguards will continue. It is also important to note that there will be no change to the way students apply for or receive these loans.

We have invested $42.2 million over four years from 1 July 2023 to build a modernised VET student loans IT system that further strengthens the department's administration of the VET Student Loans program. From the start of 2026, VET student loans will be underpinned by a new, modern assessment and payment system—just one of the ways we are improving government processes and efficiencies to help businesses and the Australian people.

As I said at the beginning, vocational education changes lives. It is so incredibly important, and, to be frank, without it we would lose workers from a whole range of critical industries that keep this country moving. The Albanese Labor government believe in TAFE, and we believe in vocational education. We will always invest in TAFE because we understand the hugely significant role that it plays in our community, and that's why we have worked hard to make TAFE free for over 685,000 students across Australia since 2023. That includes more than 50,000 childcare workers, more than 73,000 care economy workers, more than 11,000 construction workers and more than 10,000 clean energy workers with certificates III and IV in electrotechnology, electrician, plumbing and services, just to name a few. In the Illawarra alone, between January 2024 and June 2025, 4,781 people benefited from free TAFE. How incredible is that?

Just recently I was so excited to join the Minister for Skills and Training—along with the New South Wales Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education; the member for Keira; and the member for Wollongong—to officially launch the brand-new renewable energy training facility at Wollongong TAFE, funded with $2.5 million from the Australian government that I was delighted to secure under the TAFE Technology Fund. These mobile training units will bring renewable energy education and career engagement programs directly to students in regional communities like the Illawarra. We had so much fun trying out all of the fantastic equipment—cycling to power household appliances, virtual reality welding, tracking electricity consumption across Australia and so much more.

The project includes a mobile community engagement truck featuring virtual reality experiences and interactive displays that showcase renewable energy concepts and career pathways; a mobile training truck providing hands-on experience with wind turbine, solar and electric vehicle components, aligned to TAFE NSW qualifications; and two dual-purpose shipping containers that double as mobile classrooms, fitted with renewable energy systems, battery storage and interactive learning tools.

It was a collaboration with the University of Wollongong through the Energy Futures Skills Centre—another amazing centre that we have invested $10 million in—to create the clean energy workforce of the future. It was impeccably designed by Australian company Exhibition Studios and their incredible team, with special mention to Karl Meyer, Meagan O'Neill and Matthew Riley—with all jobs remaining here in Australia. I want to also acknowledge the incredible work of Professor Ty Christopher, Director of the Energy Futures Network at the University of Wollongong. Without Ty's passion, incredible knowledge and dedication to a better energy future, none of this would be possible.

I know that in the Illawarra we absolutely must be training the workers of the future—preparing the workforce and our community for the energy transition that we must have. It's already here. It has already started. There are plenty of jobs already being created in the Illawarra as we carve out a spot for ourselves as a clean energy powerhouse. I am sure that these mobile training units will play a key role in that future.

I also want to touch briefly on another exciting announcement to come out of the Energy Futures Skills Centre just last week—the launch of the Energy Futures Zone at the Science Space, located at the University of Wollongong Innovation Campus. I could not have been more excited to open this new space on Thursday last week, along with the vice-chancellor of the University of Wollongong, Max Lu. No run-of-the mill cutting of ribbon for us—we got to open the zone with a liquid nitrogen science experiment, which I have to say is probably one of the most fun openings that I have ever done. There are zones to learn, zones to practise skills and zones to get excited about the job possibilities of the future, all in an interactive environment for everyone aged five to 105. Working in partnership with the TAFE units and with the broader Energy Futures Skills Centre which will open next year is how we will ensure that the Illawarra is ready, skilled and available to supply the workforce we need tomorrow and in the future. It's something I am so proud to deliver for our community because I know this is absolutely going to transform our local economy and the lives of so many young people who will gain the essential skills and knowledge that they need.

The renewable energy training facility is not all we are doing to invest in Wollongong TAFE. The Illawarra is home to a thriving advanced manufacturing industry that is innovating and growing locally, nationally and internationally. We've got BlueScope, of course—the backbone of the Illawarra for 50 years. We've also got newer innovators like Hysata, Gravitas Technologies, Sicona Battery Technologies and so many more that are working to ensure that Australia and the world have the tools and the technology for our future. These companies are expanding, they are innovating and they need a workforce pool that they can call on—a workforce with the skills to really contribute to these growing industries.

That's why I am also really excited that the Albanese Labor government has invested $23.53 million, matched by the New South Wales government, to develop the Illawarra Heavy Industry Manufacturing Centre of Excellence. This centre of excellence will focus on traditional and renewable manufacturing to support the development of a skilled workforce that can meet the demands of new technologies and rising automation. It will provide targeted training in traditional and renewable heavy industry manufacturing for the defence and transport sectors. It will also integrate emerging technologies and automation into training, equipping students for work in digital, electrical and robotic manufacturing. It will also deliver microskills and microcredentials to upskill current workers. It is amazing that we will have, based in the Illawarra, one of only three of these centres of excellence.

It is not just one piece that will help our economy transition from a coal based workforce to the new clean energy market. It is all of these pieces together, combined with real investment in industries and in the companies that are doing that work. They are being given the signals that the Illawarra is serious about playing a significant role in that transition.

Young people are excited about the jobs that the clean energy transition is providing and will provide. They want to be a part of it because they see it as their future, and local companies see that too. We're backing them in with our Future Made in Australia policies, including the Industry Growth Program, which is helping local companies like Gravitas Technologies scale their innovation and bring it to the world market.

We believe in the transition. We believe in the jobs and opportunities that it can provide, and we are backing it with world-class education and training. Free TAFE and VET loans put this within the reach of everyone in our community and tells them that this future is possible for them and they can fulfil that dream to be part of this new revolution.

We are also backing apprentices—supporting and encouraging businesses to invest in the education of our future workforce. As of December 2024, the electorate of Cunningham had 2,790 apprentices. Our government is investing in apprentices because we know how important they are for our economy and how important they are for growing skills. Apprenticeships support businesses. They put young people on a viable career pathway and they ensure that we have the skilled workforce we need for the future.

We're doubling the level of support for apprentices who finish a trade in the residential housing sector and in the clean energy sector, providing them with a $10,000 incentive payment under the Key Apprenticeship Program. The program provides eligible apprentices with $10,000 in incentive payments, on top of their wages over the life of their apprenticeship, to work in housing construction and in over 40 different energy careers. We've also increased the living-away-from-home allowance from 1 July this year to help apprentices who are struggling with the cost of relocating to undertake their apprenticeship. Investing in apprentices means we will have more tradies, which means more homes can be built today, tomorrow and in the future, and it encourages more people into the sectors that are playing a crucial role in transitioning our economy to net zero and supporting our aspiration for a future made in Australia. Eligible apprenticeships include designing and constructing; hydroelectricity; solar and battery installations; electric vehicle maintenance; and more. This is great news for young people, and it is great news for the future of our country. I am so excited to see what the future will hold.

I have been a big support of renewable energy because I can see the potential. I can see the opportunities that it holds, particularly in regional areas like ours. Net zero is the future. It has to be, and it will be. I want to see the Illawarra embrace it, because the reality is that we embrace it or we miss out. These jobs will be created, and we want them to be created right in the Illawarra. We want those jobs for our kids as well as for those workers in fossil fuel industries that are facing huge challenges and changes ahead. There is opportunity, and, as a government, it is our job to make sure that we are putting support into the right places to allow community and industry to move in the direction that we need them to. That starts with vocational education. It must be affordable, it must be accessible, and it must be fit for purpose. That is what I see as the common denominator across all of these areas I have just outlined—affordable vocational education using state-of-the-art equipment in the regions, local and accessible to anyone who wants to embrace it.

I am a proud supporter of TAFE and a proud backer of vocational education. I am pleased to see this bill supporting the mechanisms that allow young people to access VET loans while securing their information, and I really want to thank the Minister for Skills and Training for not only his work on this bill but his commitment to affordable and accessible vocational education. It was a pleasure to have him in Wollongong just recently, and I look forward to welcoming him back soon. I also want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all of our hardworking TAFE and vocational education teachers. The work that you do is so valued and so valuable. Lastly I want to acknowledge all of those businesses who are taking on apprentices, investing in their education and their future. I want you all to know that you are making a difference in someone's life and giving them the key to their future.

The Albanese Labor government will continue doing all we can to support business, support students and support our community by investing in TAFE, investing in the jobs of the future and creating a future made in Australia. I commend the bill to the House.

Madonna Jarrett (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 before the House. Vocational education and training is skills based learning. It producers our builders, bakers, aged-care workers, healthcare workers, electricians, technicians, gardeners, landscapers and many, many more. These are great careers, but importantly they're jobs that keep our economy thriving. The Albanese government has always supported TAFE and vocational education, and that's why we introduced fee-free TAFE. Fee-free TAFE has opened many pathways for Australians to build a new path in life. Fee-free TAFE is removing financial barriers for students undertaking vocational education and training courses. Fee-free TAFE opens doors for all Australians, whether you're finishing school, changing careers or upskilling.

In my own electorate just last month, I visited Eagle Farm TAFE alongside the Minister for Skills and Training. The Eagle Farm campus is nestled in the east of the electorate and is largely in an industrial hub that sits north of the Brisbane River. It is high tech. There are robots. There's 3D. There's everything you can think of. It offers a diverse range of trades and courses for many occupations for many constituents in my electorate and beyond. That TAFE college is training students right now in automation, security, locksmithing, glass glazing, boat-building, telecommunications, renewable technologies and utilities.

While I was there I met Zac, Tahi and their class. They were finishing their locksmithing apprenticeship—yes, locksmithing. Like many jobs, the skill requirements have changed, and technology and electronics now feature very heavily. Tahi's just from across the river, but Zac came all the way down from Townsville. They talked about the things that they were learning and the new pathways TAFE has opened for them. After four years, they're both excited to be fully qualified locksmiths. This is a great example of how our government, the Labor government, is helping young people achieve their dreams. TAFEs like Eagle Farm campus are delivering the skills and training needed to grow Australia's economy, caring for Australians, building the homes we need, supporting and building renewable energy, and creating a Future Made in Australia.

Fee-free TAFE—we've heard a bit about it from our earlier speaker—is part of training more Australians for these high-demand industries. Fee-free TAFE is a Labor legacy and has been extraordinarily popular, with many constituents in my electorate signing up. Over 128,000 Queenslanders are enjoying fee-free TAFE and are saving thousands in student fees thanks to the Albanese Labor government. Free TAFE is also required to build the Australia of tomorrow, making it easier for Australians to pick up the tools and get into high-demand industries. From school leavers to career changers, TAFE opens the doors to opportunity and lifelong learning. Places like Eagle Farm TAFE are at the heart of the vocational education and training sector, with the states and the territories growing our investment in fee-free TAFE and continuing to build a national network of TAFE centres of excellence.

TAFE is just as valuable as university. It gives Australians of all ages the skills they need to build their future. We see life-changing benefits not only in my electorate of Brisbane but also across Australia. Every week more Australians are enrolling in fee-free TAFE courses and more are getting qualified to make their contribution. Recent free TAFE data shows enrolments and course completions continuing to reach new milestones, showing just how popular this Albanese government program is. Hundreds of thousands of Australians are now directly benefiting from the program, with fee-free TAFE enrolments now over 725,000.

The Albanese government's free-TAFE policy focuses on priority areas agreed between the government and the states and territories to help address skills shortages. Priority areas include construction, health and aged care, manufacturing, and technology and digital.

One important skill area that is required in my electorate is construction, where we need skilled tradies from across the vocations. We are teaching Australians the skills to build the homes and the infrastructure required for our growing cities and suburbs. But we also need to supercharge our housing build to get more homes built sooner, and we can't do this without training more people in essential trades. Across Australia, construction sector courses have seen a surge in sign-ups, with 59,000 enrolments, making them the third-most popular type of free TAFE course. This popularity shows how effective and essential free TAFE is. There is a strong take-up in construction sector courses like carpentry, plumbing, building and construction, and electrotechnology.

Fee-free TAFE is particularly benefiting Australians from priority cohorts, with 170,000 young Australians, 124,000 jobseekers and 30,000 First Nations Australians enrolling in the programs. Fee-free TAFE is breaking down barriers for Australians to learn the skills we need. This program is saving Australians thousands of dollars and helping set them up for new careers with secure, well-paid work—setting them up for life.

So if you've been sitting on the fence and thinking about a career change or you're just starting to think about your career, reach out to a TAFE campus near you. You never know; it just might change your life.

A Future Made in Australia is a cornerstone of our economic and industrial policy and is one of the many measures to achieve our net zero ambitions. The Albanese government continues to deliver an ambitious reform agenda to strengthen the vocational education and training sector, close national skills gaps and train the skilled workforce we need right across the country. Around $600 million in measures in the 2024-25 budget will bolster skills growth and develop the clean energy, construction and manufacturing sectors, as well as support apprentices and help break down barriers for women in male dominated industries.

We will see demand and job growth in areas such as our critical minerals, batteries, solar panel manufacturing, electric vehicle mechanics and much, much more. These investments continue our work to remove the cost of barriers to education and training and incentivise people to train in areas our economy needs the most. This bill before the House, though, will provide certainty to VET student loan providers and government officers that their past handling of student tax file numbers in the student loan program from 2017 was lawful under taxation and privacy laws. It's a little technical. Income contingent student loans for vocational education and training students were first introduced in 2008 under the former VET FEE-HELP scheme.

Now, this scheme operated under legislation that allowed for the handling of student tax file numbers by VET FEE-HELP providers and higher education loan program providers. This continued under the VET Student Loans program with its own legislative framework, but a review of how the VET student loans are administered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations identified that there is no clear role for VET student loan providers to handle tax file numbers in the VET Student Loans Act and stronger alignment between relevant IT systems and legislation was required for handling tax file numbers. So the department has since early 2025 made updates to relevant IT systems to mask tax file numbers from the VET student loan providers and automate the transfer of tax file numbers between relevant systems, meaning that VET student loan providers no longer need to handle tax file numbers. But this bill ensures that the alignment by retrospectivity ensures that VET student loan providers were authorised to handle students' tax file numbers to administer the VET Student Loans program. I understand that it's unlikely that there will be any persons adversely affected by the retrospective operations of the bill and there have been no VET student loan student complaints as a result of past tax file number handling practices since the commencement of the VET Student Loans program.

The VET Student Loans program does have strict use and disclosure provisions that are applied to VET information under the VET Student Loans Act, which VET student loan providers must comply with. These protections have previously applied to providers and will continue to apply after the bill's commencement. These safeguards include requirements for providers to comply with strict use and disclosure provisions that apply to vet information under the VET Student Loans Act, undergo extensive approval processes to become an approved provider and notify the department of any student related data breaches. These protections have previously applied to VET student loan providers handling tax file numbers and will continue to do so after the commencement of this bill. With this bill, we are ensuring that there is certainty in the system and that no-one else will be affected by any problems in the future.

Now, the Labor government's approach to vocational training is in complete contrast to those opposite. The coalition cut $3 billion from TAFE last time they were in government, and almost 10,000 jobs were lost. The coalition at the last election also threatened to end fee-free TAFE. During this time of cost-of-living pressures and demand for vocational skills, free TAFE is an essential program to build Australia. Australian voters decided to back TAFE and prevent the coalition stopping investment in TAFE like they did the last time they were in government. We want to make sure Australians can go on to have well-paid and secure jobs, and fee-free TAFE creates those opportunities for individuals as well as for investing in the future of our great country. That's why the Albanese government has legislated permanent free TAFE to ensure Australians can continue to access courses without the cost barrier. We are locking in 100,000 fee-free places each year from 2027.

After a decade of neglect under the Liberals, the Albanese government is rebuilding vocational education and training and building out that sector. Free TAFE continues to be an enormous success, helping Australians get ahead while easing cost-of-living pressures. More than 500,000 Australians are gaining skills and the opportunity to work in meaningful jobs that give back to our society. Like Zac and Tahi, I met students across the country saying how life changing fee-free TAFE has been for them, and this bill, like fee-free TAFE, is part of the many ways we are rebuilding and securing our vocational education system to keep Australia thriving and to build the Brisbane and Australia of tomorrow.

Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that the member for Pearce would like to present a copy of their speech for incorporation into Hansard in accordance with the resolution agreed to on 6 November this year.

Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The incorporated speech read as follows—

Thank you Deputy Speaker

I am pleased to give my strong support for the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025. While this Bill addresses a technical and legislative issue, its implications are far-reaching. This legislation not only resolves an important legal gap but also strengthens the foundation of Australia's vocational education and training system, which is crucial to our workforce and economy.

Vocational Education and Training, or VET, is often described as a pathway—but it is so much more than that. It is the backbone of skilled employment and economic growth throughout Australia.

From the suburbs to regional towns and cities, Vocational Education and Training delivers the practical skills that industries rely on every day. Whether it is plumbing houses, engineering infrastructure, carpentry, automotive repairs, aged care, or information technology, VET supports a diverse range of professions essential for our nation.

The accessibility of vocational education is critical. Many Australians choose Vocational Education and Training because it delivers hands-on education aligned with workforce needs. It provides opportunities for young people starting out, for mature-age learners looking to upskill or retrain, and for communities in regional and remote areas where options can be limited. The VET Student Loans program is an important part of this ecosystem.

By offering income-contingent loans for eligible diploma-level courses and above, the program removes upfront financial barriers. This means students can focus on their studies without the immediate worry of tuition fees, and repay based on their income once they enter the workforce. It is an equitable, sustainable funding model that broadens access and supports lifelong learning.

The Bill under discussion today tackles an issue that emerged during a review by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR)—specifically, how students' tax file numbers, or TFNs, are handled by VET Student Loans providers during loan administration. Although it may seem technical or administrative, how this sensitive data is governed impacts student privacy, program integrity, and legal clarity for providers and government alike.

Under the existing VET Student Loans Act 2016, students must submit their TFNs as part of the loan application. TFNs are fundamental because repayments of these loans happen through the tax system. The TFN links the student's loan obligations correctly to their tax records at the Australian Taxation Office. So, proper handling of these numbers is essential for accurate tracking and repayment.

However, the Department's review revealed a gap. The 2016 legislation did not expressly authorise VET Student Loans providers to handle or manage students' TFNs. This was a significant issue because the previous VET FEE-HELP scheme—now replaced—was governed by the Higher Education Support Act 2003, which clearly permitted providers to manage TFNs within defined controls.

This legislative ambiguity presented risks: providers managing TFNs without clear legal backing, exposing themselves, the department, and government officials to potential legal challenges.

In response, DEWR acted decisively. Since early 2025, they implemented IT system upgrades to better safeguard this sensitive information. Now, TFNs are masked from providers in the student interfaces, and the transfer of TFNs is automated securely within government systems. This technical solution enhances security and privacy by limiting provider access to sensitive data.

The Bill now formalises these improvements by retrospectively authorising providers' handling of TFNs from 1 January 2017 through to 30 September 2025. Retrospective authorisation is critical because it removes any doubt about the legality of past administration of TFNs, providing certainty to providers, government officers, and the department.

I want to make clear that there have been no complaints from students about TFN handling since the program started—it is an issue that has been well-managed with appropriate safeguards. Providers operate under stringent security controls, including strict use and disclosure provisions under the VET Student Loans Act, rigorous approval processes, and mandatory notification of any student-related data breaches. These safeguards protect student privacy and will continue under this Bill.

Let me take a moment to highlight why this matter, while technical, is so vital. The TFN is not just a number; it is a key that unlocks equitable administration of the loans program and proper repayment tracking through the tax system. It ensures loan repayments are fair, timely, and tied to real income levels.

At the same time, the privacy and security of personal information must be guarded carefully. In today's digital world, with growing concerns about data breaches and misuse of personal information, robust security measures are non-negotiable. This Bill balances those considerations—upholding administrative effectiveness, legal clarity, and data protection.

It is also important to assure students and the public that this Bill does not change how students apply for loans. The current electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form, or eCAF, remains the user-friendly portal for applications, preserving ease of access as intended by the program's design.

Beyond data handling, this legislation supports the foundational role vocational education plays in Australia's economy and society. It supports students on pathways leading to high-demand, skilled professions.

These trades and careers—electricians, plumbers, carpenters, engineers, aged care workers, and many others—are the backbone of everyday life and critical to national productivity and innovation.

Vocational education drives social mobility. It opens doors for individuals who might otherwise be excluded due to financial or geographic barriers. By enabling students to access education without upfront financial strain, VET Student Loans promote workforce participation, skill development, and economic inclusion.

In addition, this Bill provides support to providers and governments by clarifying the law to align with current practices and technology. When legislation falls behind technological advancements or administrative practices, it creates risk and uncertainty. Bills like this one are necessary to modernise the legal framework, ensuring ongoing, uninterrupted, and lawful delivery of programs.

This Bill is part of the Albanese Labor Government's broader commitment to continual improvement and integrity in our public programs. It shows an attention to detail in governance—ensuring our systems are secure, compliant, and fit-for-purpose as they evolve.

To conclude, the VET Student Loans {Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 addresses an important technical gap with a practical, forward-looking solution. It safeguards sensitive student information, protects providers and government officers retrospectively, strengthens legal certainty, and supports students' access to vital vocational education and training.

On behalf of my constituents and all Australians seeking skills and qualifications through VET to build fulfilling lives and careers, I commend this Bill to the House.

Thank you.

Basem Abdo (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025. On this side of the House, we know the importance of vocational education and training and its impact on opening up opportunities for so many in my community and right across Australia, whether it's a young person beginning their journey in the workforce or someone looking to reskill or upskill—a need which will become even more important to help address the economic changes our country is witnessing. It's the confidence of knowing that there are initiatives such as the VET and TAFE systems that are not only available but funded, supported and protected by the Albanese Labor government that gives certainty to students enrolled and looking to be enrolled knowing they have a government that supports them on their journey.

I want to highlight the importance of VET student loans to my community, to Australians and to our economy. The VET student loans program makes vocational education and training more accessible to Australians. It enables students to undertake a VET course and defer the payment of tuition fees to an income-contingent loan—a similar scheme to the HECS-HELP loans that enable university students to defer their fees until they pass certain wage thresholds. It's very much about fairness in our tertiary education system. It provides financial support to students undertaking higher level training and courses that address workplace and industry needs. These courses have arguably never been more important with respect to employment outcomes and opportunities, with the opportunities they afford by helping to address skills shortages in industries right across our economy, involving fields such as science, technology, engineering or mathematics and occupational licencing trades. This is particularly important for communities such as mine. Without programs such as the VET student loans, many students would not have the opportunity to undertake tertiary studies. Australian businesses and the economy would also miss out on the skill these students and alumni bring to our industries.

Our government is taking steps to fix a problem identified during a review of how VET student loans were administered in relation to the handling of a student's tax file number by a provider when completing an application for a VET student loan. The use of a tax file number plays a critical role when it comes to the use of a loan scheme such as the VET student loan scheme. It enables students to accurately track and repay their loans via the tax system. This legislation will take steps that will see providers no longer be required to handle tax file numbers of students. It provides the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations with the ability to realign its IT systems to enable this to occur. The changes will allow the department to mask tax file numbers of students and allow for the department to transfer tax file numbers within their relevant systems, relinquishing VET student loan providers from the need to handle tax file numbers. We've taken action to ensure that this issue is resolved and that there is certainty for students and providers. It provides integrity to the system and ensures that there's no disruption imposed on both students and providers. Students will still be able to fulfill the enrolment process when applying for a loan using the Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form, as they were before these reforms.

We're a government that believes that bureaucracy should not override practicality so that technicalities don't hinder vocational education and training, don't hinder progress and don't inhibit the Albanese Labor government's focus on the skills and training required for today and into the future. These changes reflect the careful and considered work of our government in ensuring that Australians are able to participate in acquiring the skills they need to pursue their career of choice. As they embark on their education journey, it can be one made with confidence knowing that the system works.

On this side of the House, we'll continue to fight for VET and TAFE because we understand that a strong vocational education system is vital to addressing the economic challenges and opportunities that are before us. Australia's economy, both at present and going into the future, depends on a workforce with the skills that vocational training helps deliver and on the ability to skill and reskill our workforce to advance both our economy and Australia's national interest, delivering the future of energy and housing, delivering on manufacturing and delivering on a future made in Australia.

We understand the importance of having a workforce with the skills needed to seize new industries, support employers, meet community needs and stay competitive, and we, on this side of the House, back this in through policy and with purpose.

Our government supports those who will be on the front line in addressing the need to build more housing because we, on this side of the House, understand the role that apprentices play in addressing housing supply. Our government has invested in our future tradies by expanding the Key Apprenticeship Program to include a housing construction apprenticeship stream, providing up to $10,000 in financial incentives to new apprentices. This is on top of other key initiatives that support apprentices in their work whilst also delivering real cost-of-living relief, including the living-away-from-home allowance, the Australian apprentice training support payment and the priority hiring incentive.

This government's commitment to skills and training extends beyond VET. Free TAFE reflects what the Albanese Labor government stands for—providing real cost-of-living relief while also advancing opportunities for Australians to get the skills they need to participate in our workforce. Free TAFE, and our TAFE system more broadly, has been the cornerstone of economic participation in communities like mine in my electorate of Calwell, which has seen major changes to its industrial base, specifically the fall of the automotive industry that saw Ford and a raft of employers dependent on Ford close down, causing job losses for thousands in my electorate and surrounding areas. Our supply chains were torn up, and manufacturing was driven out of our community by a Liberal Party that launched a full-scale attack on Australian manufacturing, on Australian industry, on Australian jobs and on Australian families. It is these types of workers who will find the provision of VET TAFE and, specifically, free TAFE of significant help.

When workers need to reskill and to find their feet again in the workforce to regain the dignity of work and provide for themselves and their families, initiatives like this are a necessity. We had those on the other side—those responsible for destroying Australian industry, whose imaginations cannot extend beyond the vision of Australia solely as a quarry—shipping our resources overseas, failing to support value added manufacturing and driving down Australia's economic and manufacturing complexity to the floor. While we set standards, they see floors as ceilings. The now Leader of the Opposition, while talking about free TAFE, said, 'If you don't pay for something, you don't value it.' What a cynical view of the Australian people! Those opposite view communities like mine with disdain and view the Australian people with disdain.

We, on this side, value free TAFE, and we value the Australians who benefit from free TAFE, whether it's a young person leaving school and beginning their journey into further education, towards starting their career, or someone who's been retrenched in middle age, a difficult experience. Regrettably, that was not an uncommon experience in my electorate when those opposite were in charge and actively goaded our local industry to leave, seeing thousands of workers across Melbourne's north left to fend for themselves in an act of economic vandalism only those opposite could ever put together.

Workers like the ones I just mentioned are a key reason why fee-free TAFE is so critical. We remove a key barrier for those who need the opportunity and assistance the most. It's real cost-of-living relief for those who are looking to rejoin the workforce after a job loss or for younger Australians, who are set to benefit. That's why our government is supporting 100,000 places in free TAFE each year from 2027.

On this side of the House we understand that if we embark on large initiatives, such as Future Made in Australia and the Housing Australia Future Fund, we need to invest and support the institutions that will train and equip our workforce with the skills necessary to see these initiatives through and enable Australians to participate in the employment opportunities that these record investments bring.

I am proud of the work that TAFEs like the Kangan Institute do in my electorate, and I want to thank the Minister for Skills and Training for his steadfast advocacy when it comes to providing greater access to skills and training opportunities for all Australians. I know his commitment to our community, to Melbourne's north and to all Australians seeking to skill, upskill and reskill. Fighting for greater access to education irrespective of one's background or circumstances is a core Labor principle. It is a principle that drives members on this side of the House and indeed the Albanese Labor government.

The Albanese Labor government's commitment to opening opportunities to pursue education also extends to students enrolled in university and to those who have graduated. The very first thing we legislated was to cut student debt by 20 per cent and to change the way fees are indexed and repayments are made going forward. We legislated this promise, this commitment, and already student debt reductions have come into effect, providing major cost-of-living relief for so many Australians.

I want to also thank and acknowledge the work of the Minister for Education, someone who cares deeply about education but equally about the importance of the access and opportunity that education brings, particularly and importantly to our outer suburbs.

This reform is often associated with university students who have incurred a HECS debt from either their current or prior university studies. But it's not limited to just the cohort of students who attended a university, as over 280,000 VET student loans and Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans will also see a 20 per cent reduction. This gives students more financial freedom to focus on doing what matters to them. It's worth noting that often this comes at a critical time in their lives as they are starting a family, looking to purchase a new home and tackling the cost of living.

On top of the 20 per cent reduction in student loans, the Albanese Labor government has provided real support to students in my community in Melbourne's outer suburbs. For students in areas that I represent, it can be difficult to access university campuses. The government understands this challenge and has acted by establishing a suburban university study hub in my electorate, because we know that where these study hubs are, university participation rates go up. During the opening of the university study hub in my electorate, a student shared her experience of how the university study hub has enabled her to cut her commute time down to just minutes thanks to her close proximity to the study hub. This has enabled her to study and focus on the studies without disruptions to her work and personal life. Students shared not only the convenience that the university study hub delivers but also the importance of being able to access an environment and the facilities, resources and added wraparound support that it provides. One student was the first in her family to attend a university—a milestone. Students like this are the reason why we fight for education on this side of the House.

I am proud to support this bill. We will always support and fight for measures that make our education system more accessible, stronger and fairer. I commend this bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:33