Thursday, 29 May 2025

Ministers statements: Kangan Institute Melton campus

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:43): We are delivering a new TAFE for Melton – right where it is needed. This week I joined local member Steve McGhie to announce the location of the new Kangan Institute TAFE campus. This new TAFE campus will be built in the heart of Cobblebank, perfectly located near the Cobblebank train station, the soon-to-be-completed Cobblebank secondary school, the future hospital and the council’s Western Business Accelerator and Centre of Excellence. This location means Cobblebank secondary students will have a TAFE right next door to continue their education and training. Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI) will be on the ground with an interim offering of courses in digital technologies at the western business accelerator this year, while works progress on the TAFE campus across the road. The new $55 million Melton TAFE campus will deliver world-class trades training so Melton residents can live locally and train locally for rewarding local careers.

Members interjecting.

Tom McIntosh: On a point of order, President, I am a metre behind the minister, who is making a really important contribution about TAFE, and I would like to be able to hear it.

The PRESIDENT: I uphold the point of order. Can I get the clock reset for the 2 minutes. I do not think the minister was being provocative. Could the minister be heard with no yelling around her.

Gayle TIERNEY: We are delivering a new TAFE for Melton, right where it is needed. This week I joined local member Steve McGhie to announce the location of the new Kangan Institute TAFE campus. This new TAFE campus will be built in the heart of Cobblebank, perfectly located –

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Minister, could you sit down. Could the clock be reset. Everyone, without any yelling. Minister, we will have another go at it.

Gayle TIERNEY: We are delivering a new TAFE for Melton right where it is needed. This week I joined local member Steve McGhie to announce the location for the new Kangan Institute TAFE campus. This new TAFE campus will be built in the heart of Cobblebank, perfectly located near the Cobblebank train station, the soon-to-be-completed Cobblebank secondary school, the future hospital and the council’s Western Business Accelerator and Centre of Excellence. This location means Cobblebank secondary students will have a TAFE right next door to continue their education and training. BKI will be on the ground with an interim offering of courses in digital technologies at the western business accelerator later this year, while works progress on the TAFE campus across the road.

The new $55 million Melton TAFE campus will deliver world-class trades training so Melton residents can live locally and train locally for rewarding local careers. From Melton TAFE to the new Sunbury TAFE to the new Broadmeadows TAFE Health and Community Centre of Excellence, we are building a north-west skills triangle powered by TAFE. With three TAFE campuses 30 minutes apart, residents will be able to access free TAFE courses right in their own communities. We know free TAFE is popular, practical and delivers results, with over 200,000 students having enrolled in free TAFE since 2019, saving an average of $3000 per course. This is about delivering skills, jobs and opportunities close to home.

David Limbrick: On a point of order, President, I would like to ask for responses to the following items: constituency question 1413 to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, constituency question 1529 to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, question on notice 1186 to the Minister for Emergency Services, question on notice 1887 to the Minister for Police, question on notice 1891 to the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, question on notice 1884 to the Minister for Emergency Services, question on notice 1890 to the Minister for Housing and Building, question on notice 1883 to the Minister for Police, question on notice 1882 to the Minister for Health, question on notice 1889 to the Treasurer, question on notice 1885 to the Attorney-General, question on notice 1902 to the Attorney-General, question on notice 1912 to the Treasurer, question without notice 426 to the Minister for Government Services, question without notice 881 to the Premier and question without notice 914 to the Minister for Government Services.

Enver Erdogan interjected.

The PRESIDENT: Minister Erdogan has indicated that he is happy to follow up.

Georgie Crozier: President, I unfortunately rise again to bring this point of order. I still have not received anything from the Treasurer, and it has been weeks since the question was asked on 18 March. There have been numerous requests and I am just wondering whether that information was actually passed on or are they deliberately ignoring the very important issue. I request that the Treasurer immediately discharge that issue.

Jaclyn Symes: On the point of order, President, I was reviewing that answer yesterday. As I said in my answer to you, I will endeavour to get you an answer from the Treasury portfolio. What is apparent is that it is not the Treasury portfolio that is responsible for the information that you have requested; that would be health.

Georgie Crozier interjected.

Jaclyn Symes: You asked for an amount of legal fees, so that would be information that is held by health or the VMIA. Neither of those are in the Treasury portfolio.

Georgie Crozier: What a lovely excuse, Treasurer. You are flipping it off.

Jaclyn Symes: Well, I will now. That is fine. I was actually going to try and get an answer from them for you, but you can do it yourself.

Georgie Crozier: On the point of order, President, this is a serious issue. It is about the wage theft of doctors. That is a very serious issue. $175 million has come out of the Treasury, and I would ask the Treasurer to address the question and provide to the Victorian public the answer.

The PRESIDENT: I believe she gave the response then.