Tuesday, 9 September 2025

TAFE sector

David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (18:23): (1918) My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for Skills and TAFE Minister Tierney. As I have mentioned many times in this place, western Melbourne is home to three of the fastest growing areas in the nation, with rapid population expansion in the Wyndham, Melton and Sunbury growth corridors. Despite this growth, the area has a limited number of higher education options, forcing many students to commute long distances to access universities and TAFE campuses. This creates barriers to education and limits opportunities for young people in the west.

Education has the power to transform lives. This is particularly relevant for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Access to education can lift families out of poverty and disadvantage and towards a future with more security and choice. Local residents are calling on the government to establish more university and TAFE campuses in the west. This will effectively tackle two issues simultaneously. Access to local campuses will cut travel time, reduce dropout rates and increase access, especially for low-income families. It will also provide growing local sectors with a skilled workforce right on their doorstep to meet regional demand and grow the economy.

We know that in Wyndham alone two-thirds of workers leave the west to work in other areas. This would go some way to cutting congestion and pollution and would also reduce cost-of-living pressures. There are plans to open two TAFE campuses in Melton and Sunbury in 2028. These will deliver training in the plumbing, electrical and construction trades. That is great, but the west also desperately needs job-ready skills in other fields such as health care, IT, education and child care, to name but a few. Residents of the Western Metro Region want to see a range of programs and courses that cater to the diverse needs and interests of the community, including vocational training, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and continuing education opportunities. As the population continues to surge, the need for more tertiary and vocational education in a broad range of sectors, including the ever-growing care sector, is increasingly urgent. I ask the minister to meet with Kangan TAFE to discuss broadening their vocational training and higher education offerings beyond simply construction trades.