Portfolio — 20 March 2026

The Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, the Assistant Minister for the Public Service and the Assistant Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Mr Gorman, used a single public address on 20 March 2026 to reinforce the government's vocational education agenda, framing skills training as central to Australia's economic future and pointing to the $30 billion National Skills Agreement as the primary vehicle for delivering that vision.

**Skills and Training: VET and the National Skills Agreement**

Mr Gorman addressed the Australian Skills Excellence Forum Dinner at Optus Stadium, highlighting the role of vocational education and training in building the nation's future [TA-260320-dewr-a3b21d25c8a2] [TA-260320-pmc-1ed2d42478ee]. He cited the five-year, $30 billion National Skills Agreement as a key initiative to restore the VET system and place TAFE at the heart of the skills ecosystem [TA-260320-dewr-a3b21d25c8a2] [TA-260320-pmc-1ed2d42478ee].

The release was distributed across two portfolio channels — the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet — reflecting Mr Gorman's joined ministerial role. The dual issuance positions skills policy as a cross-portfolio priority, bridging employment and workplace relations with the Prime Minister's broader agenda.

The National Skills Agreement, a five-year, $30 billion funding commitment, represents the government's flagship investment in vocational training. Mr Gorman's framing positions TAFE as the institutional anchor for skills delivery, with the Agreement serving as the mechanism to rebuild a VET system the government has characterised as requiring restoration. The address to the Skills Excellence Forum reinforces the government's effort to consolidate sectoral support around TAFE-centred delivery as the Agreement's implementation proceeds.