STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms CHESTERS (Bendigo) (13:56): Today is National TAFE Day. It is a day where we celebrate publicly funded TAFE. I'm really pleased to be part of a government that has made so many TAFE courses free.

In fact, we've had over 850,000 enrolments in free TAFE. Of those, 275,000 have already completed their course. In Bendigo, I've had the privilege of meeting women who've enrolled in nursing—women who said they would not have been able to afford to go to TAFE if we had not made it free.

The opportunity of a lifetime is being able to do a course, study and start a career in a field of their choice. Free TAFE isn't just good for the Australians who want the skills and the opportunities that come with having this higher qualification; it is good for business. Free TAFE gives the skills that our businesses need to grow and thrive.

It is good for the economy, giving people opportunities, giving businesses the skilled workers that they need and making sure Australians are able to be productive. Today is a day that we celebrate not just free TAFE but the extraordinary teachers in TAFE, particularly those who acknowledge that they are taking a step backwards in their pay to make sure the next generation of tradies have the skills.

We celebrate our TAFE teachers and we celebrate our TAFE students. More importantly, we celebrate the contribution that they will make to businesses and our economy.