Portfolio — 31 July 2026

The dominant thread running through Bundoora's parliamentary window is the Member for Bundoora's active prosecution of Victoria's advanced manufacturing and vocational skills agenda — both in the Assembly chamber and through a sustained run of ministerial announcements. The Member for Bundoora, the Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing, Colin Brooks, used Assembly time to honour the life of Michael Bourchier, co-founder of Amiga Engineering in Tullamarine, who built the company into one of Australia's leading precision engineering and metal additive manufacturing firms [TA-260730-vichns-06b70b591935:s027].

The tribute was substantive rather than ceremonial: the Minister detailed that Amiga Engineering was among only a handful of companies globally capable of metal 3D printing in tungsten, and was the sole Australian company certified to print in Scalmalloy [TA-260730-vichns-06b70b591935:s027]. In that framing, Bourchier's career stood as an example of the advanced manufacturing capability the Minister has spent the broader window actively trying to build through the TAFE and skills system.

Across four ministerial media releases in the weeks preceding 31 July 2026, the Minister for Skills and TAFE announced a connected set of workforce development investments that together trace a clear policy direction: linking the TAFE network directly to Victoria's priority sectors of advanced manufacturing, construction, and renewable energy. The VET Educator Academy, launched at Chisholm Institute's Frankston campus with $10 million in joint Australian and Victorian Government funding, targets more than 4,000 TAFE educators and future VET practitioners — addressing the supply of teachers as well as students [TA-260706-vicmed-94a4a0c711e5].

The Apprentice Helpdesk, which has already supported nearly 3,500 apprentices and trainees with advice on entitlements, workplace rights, and mental health support, received a further $5.8 million through the 2026–27 Victorian Budget to expand apprenticeship pathways. A $1.95 million Australian Government TAFE Technology Fund investment equipped Chisholm Institute's Dandenong campus with advanced CNC and coordinate measuring machine equipment, enabling up to 800 Victorian students annually to train in advanced manufacturing skills [TA-260714-vicmed-487ad87bac7c].

The fourth announcement — the Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence at Melbourne Polytechnic — introduced Australia's first accredited Certificate III in Prefabrication Installation, backed by $50 million in joint Commonwealth and Victorian Government funding, to train workers in modern methods of construction for faster and cheaper home building [TA-260716-vicmed-6122b5401b55].

The convergence between the Assembly tribute and the media lane is notable. The Minister's recognition of Bourchier's career — built on precisely the CNC machining and metal additive manufacturing capabilities now being embedded in the TAFE system through Chisholm Institute's Dandenong upgrade — gives the policy announcements an anchor in demonstrated industrial practice.

The housing construction initiative also extends the Minister's industry portfolio into a cross-portfolio space, connecting skills supply directly to Victoria's housing construction pipeline through the prefabrication and modern construction methods agenda.