STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr FRENCH (Moore) (13:59): In case you missed it, today is National TAFE Day. TAFE has played a massive role in my life. It gave me the pathway into university.

Later, when I decided to become an electrician, I went and did an electrical pre-apprenticeship. So not only did TAFE get me into university, it also taught me the skills and enough about electricity to not electrocute myself. And both have turned out to be pretty useful.

That is the great thing about TAFE. There is no single type of TAFE student and no single destination. It might be a school leaver learning a trade, it might be someone changing career at 25, it might be a parent going back to study, or it might be someone who did not take the traditional road into university and needed a pathway through the door.

TAFE gives people somewhere to go, and that is why TAFE is so important. We keep talking about needing more tradies, more care workers and more skilled workers. Well, there's a fairly obvious way to get them—train them!

On National TAFE Day, I'd like to thank all the teachers, trainers, staff and people like that who gave me a start and, sometimes, a second one. (Time expired) The SPEAKER: In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.