Tuesday, 4 February 2025

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (13:48): The Allan Labor government is teaming up with industry and our world-class TAFEs to establish Australia’s first dedicated future of housing construction centre of excellence. I was recently joined by the federal minister for skills Andrew Giles and the Housing Industry Association to announce this joint state–Commonwealth project at Modscape in Essendon Fields – a fantastic facility to see innovative housing construction methods at work. With deep connections to industry, TAFE and the Victorian research universities, this centre will deliver cutting-edge training to boost housing supply. Victoria will lead on training for modern methods of construction like modular building. We will upskill traditional trades through the use of technologies like AI, robotics and virtual reality. Thanks to the Allan and Albanese Labor governments’ investment of $50 million, this nation-leading training facility will be established here in Victoria at Melbourne Polytechnic’s Heidelberg TAFE campus. This centre is an important initiative in our government’s Economic Growth Statement, which is cutting red tape, boosting growth and training future skills. The Housing Industry Association’s Simon Croft said the project will:

… ensure the skills of the construction workforce continue to evolve, supporting a stronger, more innovative housing sector …

And I agree. The new centre is part of our government’s agenda of delivering the skilled workforce to build the affordable homes that Victorians need and is yet another example of the cutting-edge innovation happening at our fantastic TAFE campuses.