Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator O'Neill. As you would expect, everyone who actually cares about dealing with the skill shortage in this country and anyone who cares about backing TAFE has been very positive about these policies. Unfortunately, there are some people who don't share those views. After 10 years of neglect it's, quite frankly, a relief and essential for the future of this nation that a party that believes in the value of education and training is back in charge. Those opposite never respected TAFE and the VET sector under their watch.

You asked what the response has been to our policies. If left to those opposite, they would deprive thousands of students and workers of our fee-free opportunity and cost-of-living relief. In fact, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition called fee-free TAFE 'wasteful spending'. That's what the opposition thinks about fee-free TAFE and giving more skills to Australians—'wasteful spending'. Guess what decade it was when the Leader of the Opposition last said the word 'TAFE' in parliament? It wasn't this decade or the last decade. It was in 2004, over 19 years ago. They don't care about TAFE and they don't care about skills.