Wednesday, 12 November 2025

 Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (13:33): On 22 October I visited the site of the new South West Tech School to celebrate the start of construction on behalf of the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll. Thanks to South West TAFE CEO Mark Fidge and South West Tech School director Rohan Keert, their staff teams and the board of South West TAFE for their long-term advocacy. They have worked incredibly hard to make this project a reality. Many of those people joined us to celebrate the sod turning, as such, including industry representatives in the region who will benefit from the skills and inspiration created by the tech school. South West Tech School will prepare students from across the region for the jobs of the future. The fly-throughs are amazing, showing fabrication labs, a tech workshop, a digital workshop and also a wet-simulation lab, which will provide hands-on learning about agriculture, robotics and renewable energy. I congratulate everyone involved, and I look forward to returning when the doors open to students in 2026.