PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (12:56): I move: That this House: (1) acknowledges that Wednesday 9 September 2026 was National TAFE Day and celebrates the contributions of TAFE teachers, staff and students; (2) thanks Australia's TAFE teachers and staff for their dedication to skilling and training Australians; (3) emphasises that the Government's investment into Free TAFE removes financial barriers to ensure more Australians can gain the skills needed to work in industries critical to Australia's success; (4) observes that the Government has partnered with state and territory governments to invest over $1.5 billion in Free TAFE between 2023 and 2026; (5) recognises the Government has legislated permanent Free TAFE, guaranteeing 100,000 Free TAFE places every year from 2027; and (6) further recognises that hundreds of thousands of students have continued to embrace Free TAFE by enrolling in and completing courses in areas such as nursing, construction, care and technology.
As a former TAFE teacher, I was so proud to celebrate all our wonderful TAFE teachers, staff and students on National TAFE Day on Wednesday, September 9. Before I came to parliament, I was a TAFE teacher for more than a decade, and, during that time, I saw how TAFE changed so many lives for the better. As an outreach teacher, I helped people of all ages, but particularly women who hadn't worked outside of the home before, come back to TAFE and start on a pathway to meaningful employment.
After raising their children, TAFE helped these women into important jobs, including aged care, community services, disability care and early childhood education. I have seen firsthand how TAFE can change lives and help people gain employment or create a pathway to university and further education, whether it's a school leaver, an apprentice, a mum looking to re-enter the workforce or a mature-age student seeking to upskill and transition into a new career, TAFE opens the door.
I have two chippy sons, one who has completed his apprenticeship and started his own business, and the other is partway through his training. I've proudly watched on as they've gained the skills and confidence to go out and start building the homes we need, all thanks to TAFE. In my region of Gilmore on the New South Wales South Coast, there's so much work building new homes, and I know our local TAFE campuses are producing homegrown tradies, who get to live, work and raise their families in their local communities.
It's also great to see so many local businesses supporting our apprentices and filling the jobs we need. TAFE is buzzing right now with chippies, sparkies, and people studying aged care, early childhood education and IT. What I saw in New South Wales under those opposite was the absolute decimation of TAFE.
To be honest, the carpark at my local TAFE campus in Nowra was just completely empty for so long. But, when we came to government and introduced free TAFE, we brought students back to TAFE. Now, the Nowra TAFE campus is expanding because we've got more and more chippies and more and more sparkies wanting to train there.
Free TAFE has been such a wonderful success. It's thriving, and TAFE is so important to my community. I will always champion TAFE.
On National TAFE Day, I gave a huge shout-out to our TAFE teachers, who are supporting our young people and helping older people navigate exciting new career opportunities. Labor has revived TAFE and only Labor is the party of free TAFE. We've delivered 850,000 free TAFE places, delivering cost-of-living relief and opening the doors of opportunity to so many Australians who would otherwise miss out.
TAFE is now a permanent feature of the national VET system, with investment of more than $1.6 billion to 2034-35 to support at least 100,000 free TAFE and VET places each year from 2027. Importantly, free TAFE places are offered in high-demand fields and they're prioritised for people who typically face barriers to education and training. Enrolments in free TAFE have been strong across all priority sectors.
We've had over 236,000 care sector enrolments and more than 68,000 enrolments in the early childhood education and care sector. We've seen over 75,000 course enrolments in the technology and digital sector and more than 78,000 course enrolments in the construction sector. TAFE is delivering the skills and training needed to grow our country's economy, building the homes we need, creating a future made in Australia and ensuring our oldest and youngest loved ones can get quality care when they need it.
We're helping Australians to get secure, well-paying jobs. And, despite the efforts of those on the other side, who tried to block free TAFE, we have locked free TAFE into law, guaranteeing 100,000 free TAFE places every year. Only Labor backs free TAFE and only Labor backs Australia's future.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): Is the motion seconded? Mr Zappia: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.