Justine Elliot
Richmond · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“I'm very pleased to rise on this matter of public importance. I, like others on our side, do find it very bizarre that the opposition have put this forward because we all remember when the Liberals and Nationals were in government. We all remember the extent of all their cuts—”
“I rise today to speak in support of the establishment of the Parliamentary Friends of Crime Stoppers. Earlier this week, I joined my fellow co-chairs, the member for Cowper and the member for Fowler, at the launch of this new parliamentary friends group.”
“At a time when criminal activity continues to evolve from organised crime to cyber related offences and scams, fostering stronger cooperation between communities and law enforcement has never been more important. The true value that Crime Stoppers delivers is absolutely significant.”
“Community safety is something that has been very important to me throughout my entire career. Before entering parliament, I served as a frontline police officer, and, during that time, I saw firsthand how vital information from the public can be in helping police investigate crime, prevent harm and protect our communities.”
“That represents thousands of pieces of information that may otherwise not have reached authorities. The report also identified more than $131 million in avoided harm associated with illicit drugs, more than $50 million in avoided costs linked to reoffending and more than $32 million in law enforcement efficiency gains.”
“Behind every statistic is a person who saw something, heard something or knew something and decided to do something about it. That decision can help prevent harm, protect a victim, disrupt criminal activity or support an investigation.”
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“In fact, a Labor government will never ever consider fee-free TAFE wasteful spending, as we heard from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. It really says it all about the Liberals' and Nationals' approach to public education or, indeed, any great services—in this case, public education. They don't understand it, don't value it, don't care about it and don't invest in it. We certainly do. We understand its worth. Of course, our government, by making all these strong commitments, is reversing a lot of the damage that we saw from the previous Liberal-National government—the damage over a decade. We are rebuilding TAFEs for communities across the nation.”
“The cost of inaction, of course, is so much higher. Failing to invest in up skilling our people will leave so many industries and businesses stranded and leave so many people out of fulfilling their full potential as well. We are, across so many levels, committed to delivering on skills development. The fact is that TAFE is at the heart of vocational education and training and you can't have a strong VET sector without strong public TAFE at its heart. TAFEs are very valued and trusted public institutions and have a long history of delivering training in the public interest and working to meet so many goals that our nation needs. I visit some of the TAFEs in my community, and of course they're in every community across the country. Every Australian deserves to access them.”
“This bill establishes ongoing relief by removing financial barriers to education and training, and it really also ensures that fee-free TAFE continues to deliver a coordinated response to the pipeline of skilled workers that our nation needs now and into the future. We have a responsibility to help people here and now when it comes to training and we do owe a duty to the next generation to build an economy. That really does start with education for all—every Australian, no matter where they live, their background or their financial situation. They should be able to access education. We believe in equal opportunity. By making TAFE free, we're removing that financial barrier. The fact is that our whole nation benefits in terms of economic growth as well as the individual's capacity to get secure employment.”
“It shows how important it is to have a Labor government in place delivering all of these important changes. Labor has always committed to investing in the skills that our nation needs to drive economic growth. It's vitally important. We're also committed to making sure no-one is left behind and nobody is held back as our economy transitions. Indeed, fee-free TAFE has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australians, providing cost-of-living relief and a pathway to well-paid and secure employment. In fact, in the first 18 months of fee-free TAFE, as we heard the minister say today, there have been nearly 600,000 enrolments. That's a huge number across the nation.”
“I have met many of those students, and they have talked about how it has been life changing. They couldn't afford to go to TAFE without this in place and they are getting the necessary skills to work in much-needed sectors. Often in regional and rural areas there are impediments to gaining access to further training, and that's exactly why we have this in place: so people can get access. In my region we also have a series of outstanding TAFE facilities—indeed, as they are right across the country—and I visited many of those. We've particularly got ones at Kingscliff, Byron, Ballina and Murwillumbah. They're very new ones, particularly in Byron Bay. It's great having them there, speaking to all of those students and hearing what a difference it makes in their lives.”
“What it does is reaffirm our government's commitment to putting TAFE right at the heart of vocational education and training. We understand how important that is. This also removes those financial barriers to education and training, particularly for those people experiencing economic disadvantage. Very especially, it supports education and training in areas of high workforce demand with emerging skill needs that really are a national priority. I add that across the nation this is a game changer, especially in regional and rural areas like my electorate of Richmond on the New South Wales North Coast. Having such a policy in place has made such a difference. There are approximately 5,000 people who have had access to fee-free TAFE since this was brought in.”
“I'm very pleased to be speaking on the Free TAFE Bill 2024 today. I'm especially pleased to be speaking on it today, of all days, because today in New South Wales—my state—it's the start of semester 1 2025. It is a day to be celebrating TAFE and all that it provides and also to be speaking on this really important bill in terms of how committed the Albanese Labor government is to providing fee-free TAFE and of the difference that it's making in the lives of so many Australians. The Free TAFE Bill 2024 provides ongoing financial support to the states and territories for the delivery of fee-free TAFE places and ensures that it's in place and supports the delivery of at least 100,000 places across Australia each year from 2027.”