Andrew Giles
Scullin · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“We've got to continue to boost supply, and that's why we're investing so heavily in enabling infrastructure—the nuts and bolts, or, in this case, more the pipes and the power—to unlock 65,000 new homes, while maintaining incentives for new housing construction and for workers to do that work, too.”
“I'm so pleased to see that $37.4 million has been invested to continue upgrades along Donnybrook Road, cutting congestion and improving the flow of traffic for motorists in Melbourne's outer northern suburbs—less time on the road; more time to enjoy at home.”
“Today, I reflect on the Albanese government's budget handed down just last month—in particular what it means for the communities I'm so privileged and proud to represent as the member for Scullin.”
“We see in these conversations how our Labor government has been listening and using the opportunity and the obligation we have as the national government to make Australian lives better.”
“This builds on the work that we've done to make the cost of medicines cheaper, bringing PBS medicines down to a maximum cost of $25, or $7.70 for concession card holders.”
“That responds to a message that's been delivered to me very directly from young people right across the northern suburbs—younger people who might be renting or still living at home, saving up for a first home of their own—and from their parents and their grandparents, who worry that their kids won't be able to reach the milestone that the…”
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“They want to pursue a career in these industries. The Albanese government is backing Australians to do that. We're backing apprentices, too, supporting them to get into the industries they want to join and supporting them to see through their apprenticeship to the end. Our government continues to be focused on turning apprentice numbers around as we work to address the legacy of a decade where apprentice numbers continued to slip. Now there are 50,000 more apprentices in training than prior to the pandemic. Construction industry apprentice numbers are also up, around 28 per cent higher—a pathway to building the homes Australians need. Pleasingly, 32 per cent more women have now started trade apprenticeships.”
“That's why our government legislated to make free TAFE permanent, with 100,000 places every year from 2027. Sadly, we see some in this place continue to try to undermine free TAFE and to dismiss it. It's unfortunate. This National Skills Week I encourage everyone in this place to visit their local TAFE and chat with the students and hear firsthand about how free TAFE is changing lives. We know our job is not done. It's estimated that nine out of 10 new jobs in the next decade will require tertiary education, with around half of these requiring a vocational qualification. We need more Australians working in critical industries, like construction, nursing, aged care, manufacturing and early childhood education and care, helping us to turn around the skills challenges our country faces. We know Australians want to be part of this.”
“Caitlin's a Navy veteran, a single mum and, above all, a brilliant role model for fellow students and others who might be considering taking up a VET pathway. Caitlin's one of the 650,000 enrolments in free TAFE courses since the program started in 2023. By year's end, she will be joining the 170,000 course completions. Stories like Caitlin's underscore how life-changing free TAFE is for thousands of Australians, and Caitlin is one of the very best advocates for free TAFE. She loves talking about it. Her message to others is this: there's never been a better time to take the first step on a path to a new qualification and new career. Now is the moment. The response to free TAFE really has been remarkable. Australians are backing it in.”
“At TAFE, what we see is this: students that represent as wide a snapshot of Australia as you will find anywhere and, in that diversity, some great connections and sharing of experience; staff that are the biggest advocates going for the opportunity that TAFE provides and who have industry experience and are brimming with excitement for the opportunities that their students will have with the qualifications that they will gain; and facilities that are getting better all the time to meet the aspirations of learners and the evolving needs of our industries. At TAFE campuses you see such a breadth of learning occurring side by side—community services next to IT, next to auto mechanics, next to agriculture. That's part of what makes our TAFEs so special. It's through free TAFE that I met Caitlin, a nursing student studying in Canberra.”
“I rise today to mark National Skills Week, an important occasion to celebrate vocational education and training in our country and, with it, the incredible diversity of pathways that it offers to enable Australians to explore all options, as is this year's theme, and to support them to gain the qualifications they want as they skill or reskill to secure good, well-paid, long-term jobs and great careers, to set them up for the future and to help improve our productivity and grow our economy. As the skills and training minister, I have the great honour to meet VET students and apprentices every week, including at TAFEs, right around the country. The Albanese government is working hard to put TAFE at the centre of the VET system.”
“This incentive program builds on the very successful new energy stream as well, which has already seen more than 11,000 Australians take up training and jobs in clean energy, electrical and automotive fields. While I'm on my feet, I want to recognise that, in the gallery today, we're joined by Ausgrid electrical apprentices from New South Wales. It's great to see them here. It was so great to visit one of their sites earlier this year with my friend the member for Reid and meet 50 new apprentices starting that week. We are pulling every lever to help Australians get secure, well-paid jobs in nation-building industries. This government, unlike members opposite, will always back Australian apprentices to build Australia's future.”
“That's why we are supporting new housing construction apprentices and tradies through $10,000 incentives, and we're already seeing promising results after just a month. We know these incentives, which are also really important cost-of-living relief, are encouraging more Australians to pick up the tools and to become tradies—to gain skills, make a contribution and build a career. I think about people like Blake and Calvin—pre-apprenticeship carpentry students at Victoria University's Sunshine campus. Calvin wants to one day start his own carpentry business, and it's free TAFE that's opening that pathway, together with our incentive program.”
“It was in this House that the now leader of the opposition, in opposing the Free TAFE Bill, said: … if you don't pay for something, you don't value it. The more than 47,000 free-TAFE students in construction courses demonstrate that Australians disagree. On this side of the House, we're backing the next generation of tradies. We've upped the living-away-from-home allowance for the first time in 20 years, and we've doubled the amount we provide to employers to take on an apprentice living with a disability. The most recent data shows us that construction industry apprenticeships are up 11 per cent compared to pre the pandemic, but we are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to boosting apprenticeships so we can build more homes for Australians.”
“I thank my friend the member for Hasluck for her question, and I recognise her deep commitment to the people she represents so well in this place, particularly in ensuring that they can get the skills they want to do the jobs that we need. In the Albanese Labor government, we are building Australia's future and boosting the workforce we need to deliver it so that we can deliver on our national priorities. But, when we came to government just over three years ago, Australia was facing the worst skills crisis in more than half a century. This didn't come about by accident; it followed a decade of neglect from those opposite, underlined by their failure to land a national skills agreement in a decade and by billions of dollars in cuts. Apprenticeship numbers fell away. It's very clear that they still haven't learnt.”
“This simply isn't good enough. This hub will make a real difference, and where it's located—right next to Epping train station, next to the plaza and located at the Melbourne Polytechnic Library—will make a real difference. The hub is also right over the road from St Monica's College, inspiring the next generation of students to pursue opportunities in university and TAFE. For my constituents in Scullin, the Epping study hub is open for online registration for university and TAFE students. I encourage everyone to register.”
“Earlier this month I had the opportunity to take a look at the progress being made in the construction of the Epping study hub with my friend the member for Calwell. The northern study hubs in Epping and Broadmeadows will transform the lives of people in the northern suburbs, and I'm incredibly optimistic for the contribution this will make for the future of our communities. In Labor, where you live should never be a barrier to completing a tertiary qualification. The study hub will bring university and TAFE closer to home with not just a place for students to study but a place for students to receive tailored academic support and build stronger connections with their fellow students. The City of Whittlesea has a university attainment rate of just over 23 per cent, well below the rate of about one-third across metropolitan Melbourne.”
“There are groups like the Lalor & District Men's Shed, the Mill Park Football Club and Whittlesea Community Connections—the lifeblood of a diverse and united community. Across all of these groups there are so many dedicated and passionate volunteers who turn up week after week, never seeking recognition for themselves but contributing to making the suburbs of the Scullin electorate such a special community. In this place, Australia's parliament, I want to say a big thankyou to every volunteer in the electorate of Scullin. You do so much for so many. I want to encourage others to think about the contribution they can make in their communities and also to give a shout-out to those who they see around them making a difference for others.”
“Last month, I had the very great honour of bringing together some of the incredible community members in the Scullin electorate at my annual Scullin Volunteer Awards, paying tribute to nearly 50 volunteers—people like Mabruka Mohamed, the co-founder and the President of the Libyan Women's Association, someone who's dedicated over a decade to service and advocacy as a volunteer for a significant emerging community group in the northern suburbs. Ms Mohamed is strengthening cultural connections and health education. She's someone who's doing so much to build a stronger and better-connected community. I'm so proud of so many people like her amongst the diverse communities, the sporting clubs, the scouting groups, the neighbourhood houses and the social enterprises in the Scullin electorate.”
“In our first term, we followed this by putting TAFE back at the heart of the VET system, delivering now more than 650,000 free TAFE places to address critical skills shortages and offer more people the opportunity to get ahead through training. These vital skills are now being deployed in industries like construction, hospitality, health and aged care, cyber and manufacturing. At this point, the very start of our second term, this bill, which will deliver a 20 per cent cut to student debt, will help expand opportunity to those who have traditionally been denied it while critically delivering immediate cost-of-living relief. I commend the bill to the House.”
“It's clear to the students that this will make a really tangible difference in their lives. It's recognition from our government that we want to support students and apprentices to pursue new opportunities through TAFE and help set themselves up for their future and our future too. Very shortly after the Albanese government was first elected to office we brought stakeholders together in a jobs and skills summit. Alongside employers, unions and civil society, we are continuing to work to address what we inherited, which was the worst skills crisis in 50 years and the second-worst of any advanced economy.”
“As a result of this legislation, he will save $3,000. Ralph's looking to continue his journey to become a registered nurse. He told me that having more money back in his pocket will make a big difference. Izzy is set to see $2,000 of her student debt cut. For someone who has gone to TAFE to follow her passion for interior design, she feels like the government is supporting her to pursue her dream. Lauren told me she is trying to save for a home and that the student debt cut she will receive will get her a little bit closer to that goal. Elliott was pleased that they would receive a student debt cut on top of seeing wages rise for early childhood educators and free TAFE too. This is just a snapshot of the nearly 300,000 students and apprentices in the VET sector who will benefit from our government's student debt relief.”
“In housing, too, we are boosting the pipeline of housing construction workers to build the new homes Australians need. In science and technology, we are putting Australia at the forefront of global innovation and developing solutions for the modern world. Not only is this of benefit to students; we know how much Australian businesses and the economy benefit from the skills these graduates bring. I very recently met with some students from CIT here in Canberra who very generously shared their stories with me. Jennifer has a $40,000 student debt across both HECS and VET. She told me: 'I am relieved I will be saving around $8,000. It makes such a huge difference. I feel a huge weight off my shoulders, and I really feel like I can focus on finishing my course and getting into my industry.' Ralph is undertaking a Diploma of Nursing.”
“For an apprentice with the average-size loan, $9,000, the debt relief they'll see will be $1,800, while debt relief for someone with the average VET student loan of $11,000 will be $2,200. These loan programs have made further study and training possible for hundreds of thousands of Australians. They've enabled students and apprentices to pursue high-level training, including in courses that address the needs our country is facing and of course creating better employment outcomes and opportunities for them. In manufacturing, our government continues to drive forward a future made in Australia. In the care economy, we are developing reforms across aged care, health and early childhood education to support communities and ensure that they have the services they need.”
“We also know that free TAFE is producing results, with more than 170,000 course completions, seeing more Australians heading towards work in critical industries. And now these students, these apprentices, will be benefiting from student debt relief, too. Students with Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans and those with VET student loans will benefit—nearly 300,000 of them. On 1 June 2025, apprentices with these student loans had $1.22 billion of loan debt, while students with VET student loans had around $1.6 billion of student debt. Now, as a result of our 20 per cent student debt cut, around 244 million of Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan debt and $317 million of VET student loan debt will be removed.”
“With this bill there are additional measures. We're also increasing the repayment threshold to $67,000 in 2025-26. This means, for example, that someone earning $70,000 a year will have around $1,300 less in repayments. As the Minister for Skills and Training I'm particularly proud of what this legislation means for students in the vocational education and training sector. I've been travelling to TAFEs right around the country, meeting with students and apprentices to hear about how government can better support them. I've seen firsthand how many of them have leapt at the chance to undertake a free TAFE course. On the basis of the latest data we know there've been more than 650,000 enrolments in free TAFE.”
“It means that more women, more First Nations Australians and more people from our regions can get the skills they want so they can do the jobs we need—secure, long-term, well paid jobs in industries like construction, the care economy, manufacturing and technology. By cutting student debt, the Albanese government is taking pressure off more than three million Australians who have a student debt loan, including nearly 300,000 students in the VET sector, whose debt will be reduced by half a billion dollars. That is three million Australians right around the country—including, of course, more than 20,000 students and apprentices in my electorate of Scullin. During the election campaign I heard from so many community members—again, particularly young people—about what the 20 per cent cut to their student debt meant to them.”
“I want to recognise the fantastic work of my friend Minister Clare, the Minister for Education—the work he's done to put this bill before the House, to show that we are delivering to those students and to thousands like them right around the country. This is of course the first bill presented to the parliament by the re-elected Albanese government. The bill also underscores our government's commitment to making tertiary education more accessible. This is a wide-ranging commitment, of course, because it sits alongside measures such as free TAFE—almost the last bill legislated in the last parliament—alongside our critical apprenticeship incentives and of course alongside paid prac.”
“In our first term, the Albanese government wiped $3 billion of student debt through changes to indexation, putting this money back into the pockets of students and apprentices right around the country. We listened to students, who were telling us that cutting student debt made a real difference to their lives. So we didn't stop there. Last year, in Sturt, the Prime Minister announced that a re-elected Albanese government would introduce as our first piece of legislation a 20 per cent cut to student debt for students in universities and for students in the VET sector, too. We listened to students, and now we are delivering.”
“'A huge weight off my shoulders', 'opening up new opportunities', 'every penny helps my savings'—now, these aren't my words; they are the words of some TAFE students who joined me recently to talk to me about what student debt relief means to them. This is real cost-of-living support, helping students with those week-to-week costs and helping them save for the rent, a home deposit or whatever it is that is their dream. But, beyond that, this is something that is continuing to break down barriers. Through this measure, through this bill, the Albanese government is sending a really strong signal to Australians, particularly but not only young people, so that everyone can see that accessing education and training is possible, that pursuing a new career needn't be only a dream but is something that can be tangibly reached.”
“They put that on the ballot paper, and, on 3 May, young people voted for this. Now we are delivering. We're getting on with delivering student debt relief and with it more opportunities for young people to get the skills they want and the jobs we need. (Time expired)”
“Three million Australians will benefit from this, including the better part of 300,000 apprentices and TAFE students. In the Albanese government, we are supporting every student and every apprentice to gain new skills to pursue new opportunities and to secure good jobs. To that end, free TAFE has now seen more than 650,000 enrolments and already 170,000 completions. But we know that not everyone in this place supports free TAFE. The Liberals and the Nationals voted no to free TAFE, and the Leader of the Opposition said in this place that, if you don't pay for something, you don't value it. Well, Australians disagree, and the Albanese Labor government has been listening to students like Jennifer and like Ralph, who told us that cutting student debt would make a difference in their lives.”
“We know that for VET students and apprentices, just like students at university, cutting student debt will make a real difference, including for those students that the Prime Minister, the Minister for Education and I met with yesterday from CIT here in Canberra, like Jennifer, who has both a HECS debt and a VET debt. Jennifer will save $8,000, which will help set her up for her new career. Ralph, a diploma of nursing student, will save $3,000 because of our student debt relief, which will help him save and prepare to pursue further study to become a registered nurse like a couple of my colleagues in this place here. These are just some of the thousands of stories that we've heard since we announced our 20 per cent cut from student debt.”
“I thank my friend the member for Barton for her question, and I congratulate her on a really excellent first speech, the start of many great contributions for her community and in the national interest. It was also fantastic to join her just a few weeks ago at the St George Kogarah TAFE. We met there with some free TAFE students studying aged care and nursing, including some nursing students benefitting from our government's paid prac that began on 1 July. Free TAFE and paid prac—just two examples of how the Albanese Labor government is delivering for Australians and for young Australians in particular, supporting them to get the skills that they want for the jobs that we need done and supporting them to get ahead with real cost-of-living relief as well.”
“That's why we are delivering a 15 per cent wage increase for early childhood educators and working to entrench early education as a fundamental part of our education system.”
“There was a magic show and there were some very impressive tricks by my good mate Bruce, who's far better with balloon animals and rabbits than I could ever pretend to be. I've been visiting childcare centres right across my electorate, from Goodstart in Mill Park to Great Beginnings in Epping, meeting with so many dedicated and hardworking childcare workers and early educators like Priya, from Great Beginnings, who spoke with passion about seeing the growth within our young ones and the difference they make in shaping young lives and our future, ensuring that everyone gets the best start in life. I remind the house that the Albanese government deeply understands the importance of this vital sector.”
“She was a strong advocate, a leader and an inspiration for the community. As I stand here wishing I could be at the funeral itself, I send my condolences to her family. I note Sofia is survived by her son, Nonda, and her beloved grandchildren, and remembered by many who loved her across the community. Last weekend I had the very great privilege of cutting the ribbon to officially open Leading Edge Childcare and Early Learning Wollert, a fantastic family owned business bringing something very special to a growing community. I send out a very special thank you to the owners for inviting me to be part of this event and to the families I spoke with over a very enjoyable sausage sizzle on a hot day.”
“If it is impossible, as I believe, to imagine Melbourne today without the extraordinary imprint of the Greek Australian community, it's impossible to overstate the influence of Sofia on that community, particularly in the northern suburbs and particularly in terms of her work with Greek women. She dedicated her life to empowering women in the Greek community. In particular in her role as president of the Hellenic Women's Federation, she worked tirelessly and effectively to advocate for Greek heritage. She was also a deeply impressive advocate for the Cancer Council and promoted cancer services for many years after her own breast cancer surgery. She never stopped; she always showed kindness and compassion for others and was a very regular and much-loved visitor to my electorate office. My staff and I will miss her terribly.”
“As I stand here in Australia's parliament, hundreds are gathering at The Transfiguration of Our Lord Greek Orthodox Church of Thomastown. They're gathering in solemn mourning, remembrance and celebration of an extraordinary life—that of my friend Sofia Mastoris OAM. It is fitting she be remembered in this place as well as in the community she served. The Scullin community and I have lost a dear friend and a dear comrade in the passing of Sofia. I recognise she was a member of the Labor Party for 43 years amongst many other very significant accomplishments.”
“by leave—I move: That Members be discharged and appointed as members of certain committees in accordance with the following list: Mr Pasin be discharged from the Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport and that, in his place, Mr Ramsey be appointed a member of the committee; Mr Goodenough be discharged from the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories and that, in his place, Mr Caldwell be appointed a member of the committee; Mr Goodenough be discharged from the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit and that, in his place, Mrs Andrews be appointed a member of the committee; and Mr Willcox be appointed a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works. Question agreed to.”
“Before they all voted against the bill today, the deputy opposition leader said: … it's a key principle and tenet of the Liberal Party: if you don't pay for something, you don't value it. We know it's not just free TAFE they don't value; it's all public education—Medicare, the NDIS and public hospitals. But Australians value all of these, and they know they'll be worse off under the Liberal Party and a government led by this Leader of the Opposition.”
“A student like Bradley, studying a cert II in ECEC in South Australia could save around $4,400. In the NT, a student doing a cert III in community services could save around $8,800—real savings for people, getting skills that they want in areas we need. But, of course, there is more to do to support Australians, and that's why we are making free TAFE permanent. But the Liberals continue to call it wasteful spending. The Leader of the Opposition says he's going to cut 'wasteful spending'. The last time they were in government, the coalition left Australians with the second-worst skills shortage in the OECD. They cut $3 billion from TAFE and training. They failed to land a national skills agreement with the states and territories for nearly a decade. And they haven't changed.”
“Bradley says this: Fee Free TAFE has helped me by allowing me to study and pursue this career without the concern of whether or not I can even afford to study and change careers years after leaving high school … We also know, and the member for Paterson knows this very well, that more than one-third of all the enrolments in free TAFE have been in regional and rural areas. That's why the Central Queensland University submission goes on to say: Regional students face the extra costs of time, transport, distance, childcare, time away from work and other expenses … In such circumstances, education … often becomes a discretionary expense. Fee-Free TAFE has helped to alleviate this burden, enabling students to pursue their studies without having to choose between education and financial stability. So let's look at how much students save.”
“I thank the member for Paterson, who is not only a champion of regional New South Wales but a champion for free TAFE. She knows—she celebrates the fact—that free TAFE has delivered enrolments for nearly 600,000 Australians. She knows that we are removing financial barriers to TAFE as part of our action on the cost of living to get inflation down and wages up and to create new jobs. She knows that this is making a difference. We've heard this through the free TAFE Senate inquiry, through dozens of submissions which have highlighted the positive impact of free TAFE. TAFE Directors Australia shared the story of Bradley Edwards. Bradley is a young father who studied for a cert III in early childhood education and care at TAFE SA.”
“It delivers on our commitment that no-one is held back and no-one is left behind. It is building Australia's future and creating a better life for Australians. That's what the Free TAFE Bill is all about, and that's why I commend the bill to the House.”
“A central tenet of the Labor Party is no-one held back and no-one left behind. There's a stark difference between Labor and the Liberals on TAFE and public education. For Australians, there's a choice. The Liberals have made it clear that under them there will be no free TAFE. They will cut funding to free TAFE. Despite the claims of the member for Farrer and those opposite, free TAFE is funded. It's funded through the 2024-25 MYEFO with a commitment of $253.7 million for 1½ years from 2027 and $177 million each year after that. Labor is making free TAFE permanent. It provides cost-of-living relief. It removes the debt burden that students can carry over their course of their lifetimes. It gives Australians the opportunity to obtain meaningful, secure and well-paid jobs.”
“It's not true for Lachlan, who did his cert IV through free TAFE and represented Australia at the WorldSkills championships in France alongside 1,400 competitors from 70 other nations. It's not true for Caitlin and Giselle, who are doing their health qualifications through Canberra Institute of TAFE, and Kayla in WA, who is set up for a career for the next 20 to 30 years. All the students I have met and all the students that my Labor colleagues have spoken to across Australia, from Cairns to Cottesloe, Devonport to Darwin and everywhere in between, all value their studies and value the career opportunities that have opened up for them as a result. They value the TAFE teachers who have supported them and the fellow students that they've been learning with. So does Labor.”
“In fact, it appears to be Liberal policy that TAFE students don't deserve cost-of-living relief, but bosses going out for long lunch and karaoke need 20 grand a year. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition said the quiet part out loud when she declared: … it's a key principle and tenet of the Liberal Party: if you don't pay for something, you don't value it. So, if you're told that your TAFE is free and all you have to do is turn up … but you haven't paid for it, you don't see it as something that makes a difference to you in your life; you don't see it as something valuable. Well, that is not true for Shereen, who told us that free TAFE had been life changing. It's not true for Kirsty and Cristy, who are doing their Diploma of Nursing qualification through free TAFE in Queensland.”
“I'd like to take this opportunity to thank states and territories for their critical role in ensuring the success of the current free TAFE program. This is a true partnership. I welcome the discussion and debate that's occurred in the House and the broader community since my second reading speech. Many members have highlighted how free TAFE will build Australia's future and deliver ongoing benefits to their communities, to industry and to the economy. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, there have also been some disappointing contributions offered up by Liberal Party and National Party members, signalling that free TAFE is on their cuts agenda. The Liberals have made it clear they don't believe TAFE students are worth the investment.”
“I can tell you that every free TAFE student I've met certainly values their education and the doors that it is opening—students like Caitlin, a Navy veteran and single mum here in Canberra. She told me she wanted to become a nurse but couldn't afford to study until the Albanese government made it free. Free TAFE offers an ongoing, coordinated approach with states and territories to addressing the nation's skills shortages, which we inherited after a decade of inaction from the previous government. The Free TAFE Bill 2024 commits the Commonwealth to continuing support for at least 100,000 free TAFE places a year from 2027, bringing costs down so that more Australians can access high-quality, affordable training.”
“Hundreds of thousands of young people are training for a new career, and older workers are training for a new opportunity. But these are not just numbers. Each one is a story of individuals and of families, a story about the joy of achievement and the satisfaction and reward of meaningful work. And it's a story about stronger, happier communities and a healthier, more diverse economy. Our investment sends a clear message to each and every person enrolled and anyone thinking about enrolling: 'We back you. We support your education. We support your aspiration. We won't cut it. We want you to get that qualification to help build the life you want.' Investment in free TAFE is not wasteful spending which needs to be cut, as we've heard members of the coalition say in this place.”
“Firstly, I would like to thank all the honourable members who have contributed to this debate about making free TAFE a permanent feature of our national VET system. Free TAFE is changing lives and delivering cost-of-living relief to hundreds of thousands of Australians, and that's why we're locking it into law, not cutting it. Since free TAFE started in 2023, there have been close to 600,000 enrolments. Over 191,000 young Australians, 140,000 jobseekers and 34,000 First Nations Australians have enrolled in free TAFE. More than six in 10 places have been taken up by women, one in three in regional and remote Australia. We've had 39,000 enrol in construction courses, 40,000 in early education, 54,000 in digital technology and 150,000 in aged care and disability care. Tens of thousands of jobseekers are getting a fresh start.”
“Plus, studying for my diploma with TAFE Queensland means I'll knock a year off my bachelor studies. What a great story. TAFE Directors Australia shared the story of Estelle Wyllie, who's just completed a Certificate III in Individual Support at TasTAFE, and she says this: If it wasn't for Fee Free TAFE I wouldn't have been able to do the course in the first place as I wasn't in a position to pay for training at the time. She goes on: It's pretty much set me up with a career. Again, it's a great story that the members opposite should be listening to. They should also think about how much students are saving. In Victoria, a student doing a Diploma of Nursing—”
“I thank my friend the member for Aston for her question. She's a proud graduate of Box Hill TAFE and a proud supporter of free TAFE. She knows that the Albanese government has delivered free TAFE to almost 600,000 Australians and that, by removing financial barriers, free TAFE is helping Australians to gain skills they need and to build Australia's future. The Free TAFE Bill 2024 Senate inquiry has now received dozens of submissions highlighting the positive impact of free TAFE. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation highlighted the case of Cristy Armour, a proud Gamilaraay woman who's completed the Diploma of Nursing, and she says this: The Fee-Free funding has been amazing, and the money I've saved will go towards paying for my Bachelor of Nursing.”