Wednesday, 22 June 2022

 Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional Development) (14:37): I rise today to update the house on how rural and regional Victorians are getting the skills and training that they need thanks to our government’s free TAFE program. After years of cuts and closures and neglect from those on the other side, our government is delivering the investment and opportunities that rural and regional Victorians deserve. We now have more than 60 free TAFE courses on offer, aligned with key industries that will offer secure future careers, and as a result of this investment we have seen a 22 per cent increase in enrolments in free TAFE across regional Victoria. Some of the most popular courses include a diploma in nursing, a diploma in community services and a certificate III in early childhood education and care—some of the most needed skills in our rural and regional communities. We understand that our regions need skills in order to progress, and only the Andrews Labor government will deliver them and respond to that need with free TAFE. But that is not all. We are ensuring students have access to state-of-the-art facilities close to home by delivering upgrades to campuses across the state, including the Gordon in Geelong, Bendigo Kangan Institute, GOTAFE in Shepparton, South West TAFE in Warrnambool, SuniTAFE in Mildura, TAFE Gippsland and Wodonga TAFE.

Back in 2014 when I was running for the seat of Macedon there was a sign in my home town of Kyneton and it said ‘Bendigo TAFE this way’. The problem was there was no TAFE because those on the other side closed that campus. At a time when our community needed skills, they cut TAFE delivery in Kyneton. Only the Andrews Labor government will deliver for rural and regional Victoria.