PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (12:52): Homes, homes and more homes—that is what Australians elected our government to deliver: more homes and more Australians being able to achieve the dream of owning their own home. But if we are serious about building more homes, we need the people to build them. We need more tradies.

That is why I am proud to be a part of Labor government that is investing in TAFE, apprenticeships and vocational education. I know first-hand just how important TAFE can be. Before coming to this place, I studied at TAFE.

I know what it's like to walk through those doors, learn practical skills and build a pathway into the workforce. TAFE is not a second-best option; it is a pathway to a good career, a secure job, a better future for thousands of Australians. That is why, through our five-year National Skills Agreement, our government is investing more than $12.6 billion in Australia's vocational education and training sector.

We are rebuilding TAFE after a decade of neglect under the former Liberal-National government. Through free TAFE, we have backed more than 814,000 enrolments in courses critical to Australia's future, including training for tradies, nurses, early childhood educators. These are not just numbers.

These are people changing careers, young Australians learning a trade, people gaining new skills and pursuing new opportunities. But we know that getting people into training is only the beginning. We also need to support people to complete their apprenticeships and enter the workforce.

That is why Labor took to the election our Key Apprenticeship Program, providing a $10,000 incentive for new apprentices in housing construction. We listened to apprentices and employers, who told us that the cost of starting an apprenticeship can be a real barrier—the tools, the transportation, the expenses that are not always considered when someone decides to take up a trade.

Under our program, eligible apprentices receive five $2,000 payments over the course of their apprenticeship. It is practical support at the times when apprentices need it the most. We are backing employers too, with an additional $5,000 incentive for eligible apprenticeships that commence in 2026.

In Victoria, this program is already making a real difference. It has supported 2,790 carpentry apprentices, 2,330 electrical apprentices, 2,447 plumbing apprentices and more. That is a total of 9,286 students contributing to our state.

These are the people who will help build the homes our communities need. Their skills will be needed at every stage of construction. They will turn plans on a page into homes where Australian families can build their lives.

According to Master Builders Australia, just one of these construction tradies will contribute the equivalent of 22 standalone houses over a 30-year career. And yet the opposition has described Labor's investment in TAFE and the trades as wasteful spending. Their shadow minister has called the Key Apprenticeship Program 'wrong' and said it is 'throwing good money after bad money'.

I could not disagree more, because I know what TAFE has given me, and I know what a trade can give someone—practical skills, a career, independence and the opportunity to build a good life. If we want to build more homes, we need more tradies. If we want more tradies, we need to invest in TAFE.

And, if we want apprentices to complete their training, we need to support them along the way. That is what the Albanese Labor government is doing. We are investing in our future workforce so that they can build the homes Australia needs.

That is something I'm proud to support. I commend the Key Apprenticeship Program to this House, and I want— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): I thank the member for Holt. The question is that the motion be agreed to.

I give the call to the member for Cowper.