Wednesday, 17 June 2026

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:23): I rise to make a contribution on one of the proudest and most impactful achievements of this government, and that is free TAFE. The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office have tabled their report seven years after its introduction and have delivered the verdict that free TAFE is providing training for priority skills and delivering real, tangible benefits to our state. The numbers speak for themselves. Since 2019 free TAFE opened its doors to over 245,000 students to the end of 2024, and with $816 million worth of fees remaining in the pockets of hardworking Victorians, that is real cost-of-living relief. Every working parent, every jobseeker, every new arrival and every person who dared to dream of a different career walked through those TAFE doors without the fear of a bill at the end of it. More than 80 qualifications and short courses are now fee-free and enshrined in law in the industries our state needs most, including building and construction, education, clean energy, the care economy, hospitality and the digital economy. In 2024 alone there were 35,000 enrolments. Of these students, 11 per cent were identified as people living with a disability, 20 per cent were experiencing unemployment and 59 per cent were women. These are not just statistics; these are Victorians who needed a hand up, and this government gave them one.

Here are four examples of lives that were changed by a government who wants to see everyone given a chance. Joseph came to Australia from the Philippines with nothing but determination. He had lost everything to Typhoon Haiyan. He enrolled at the Chisholm Institute and threw himself into commercial cookery. Today he works in some of the most prestigious kitchens in this country, including at the MCG and the Emirates Lounge. He says some days he walks out after a shift, looks back and has to remind himself that he works there. Joseph is what free TAFE looks like in the real world.

Guinny walked out of an all-girls school and straight into an electrotechnology electrician course in one of the most male-dominated trades in the country, with no experience and no connections – just ambition. Free TAFE gave her the entry point, and when male colleagues have suggested she gets special treatment, she has a simple answer: she is recognised for her skills because she is a good electrician, not because she is a woman. With electricians paid higher-than-average earnings and a high number of job openings coming over the next five years, Guinny has chosen the right path for her.

Bradley is an Indigenous man who had to walk away from university when his partner suffered a cardiac arrest. He had a young family to support and hold together and a degree that he had to abandon. He could have stopped there, but he did not. He found vocational training and earned his qualification, and in 2025 Melbourne Polytechnic named him their Outstanding Indigenous Student of the Year. Now he is on his way to a bachelor of social work. Bradley is a person determined to give other young people the same chance that he found.

Mahnaz arrived from Iran two years ago to a new country, a new language and a new life to build from scratch. She started with a short English course at Melbourne Polytechnic and found her passion, which was working with children. She completed her certificate III in early childhood education, secured her first ever job at the same service where she did her placement and is already enrolled in her diploma. She put it best herself: this is her first time earning money, and now she can be independent.

This is exactly what this government sets out to do. The list goes on and on. More than 190,000 lives have been changed for the better through free TAFE. This is what this government does: we do not just talk about opportunity, we fund it. We are proud to provide an opportunity for people to access training and a meaningful career. We are proud to support people to build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities. Free TAFE is here, it is working under the Allan Labor government, and it is here to stay.