❓ Question regarding the Cook Labor government's investment in TAFEs across WA, comparing it to the Liberal and National Parties' record. The Premier outlines the investment and criticises the previous government's cuts.
AnsweredQoN 558Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TAFE — INFRASTRUCTURE
558. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Premier:
Before I ask my question,
on behalf of the member for Riverton, I acknowledge the Rossmoyne Senior High
School students here today.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's record
investment in TAFEs across WA.
(1) Can the Premier outline to the house what this investment
means for Western Australians?
(2) Can the
Premier advise the house how this Labor government's record compares
with that of the Liberal and National Parties?
558. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Premier:
Before I ask my question,
on behalf of the member for Riverton, I acknowledge the Rossmoyne Senior High
School students here today.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's record
investment in TAFEs across WA.
(1) Can the Premier outline to the house what this investment
means for Western Australians?
(2) Can the
Premier advise the house how this Labor government's record compares
with that of the Liberal and National Parties?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I thank the member for the question. It was great to see her at Joondalup TAFE
this morning, along with the member for Burns Beach, the member for Kingsley
and the Minister for Training and Workforce Development
to celebrate the opening of the brand new electric automotive vehicle training
centre at TAFE . It is part of our $450 million investment in upgrading
our TAFEs —
Ms S.F. McGurk interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : It says $450 million; it is $250 million. That
is how efficient we are: we are doing it at half price ! We are upgrading
our TAFEs the length and breadth of this state. Today we opened the new
state-of-art EV training facility, a $21.3 million investment in making sure
that we not only train our young people and those who are reskilling for the
jobs of today, but also have a workforce for the jobs of the future. The
facility will allow for the training and upskilling of the next generation of
automotive workers right here in Perth's northern suburbs. WA's clean energy transition is on the move, and
it is important that we have the workforce ready to be part of this important historic transition. I encourage anyone who is looking for a career change to
take advantage of the fantastic opportunities across WA—of which there
are plenty. As we know, in 2017 when the WA Labor government was elected, we
froze TAFE fees as we promised. Then, once we had fixed the state's
finances, we were able to rebuild our TAFE system from the ground up. We
removed entirely the fees for 130 TAFE courses—our fee-free training
program is a game changer when it comes to reskilling people in the community—plus
we reduced the fees for another 100 courses.
This has led to a 24 per cent increase in enrolments, with a historic high of
153 000 enrolments in 2023.
Investment in TAFEs was slaughtered
by the Liberal and National Parties when they were last in government. They cut TAFE infrastructure investment—I
cannot believe this stat—by 25 per cent in their last term in
government . At a time when we needed to continue to renew our workforce,
those opposite actually cut investment in TAFEs. Overall, we saw a massive 33 per
cent decline in the number of new apprenticeships and trainees taking place
under them. Of course, they increased fees for some courses by 510 per cent.
Can you imagine, Madam Speaker, that there
was once a time when fees for an enrolled nurse student were increased by 456 per
cent to almost 10 500 bucks? That same
student today pays nothing. The fees to become a residential building drafter
were increased by 390 per cent under the Liberals and Nationals to over
$6 000. Today, those students pay nothing. The fees to train to become a childcare
worker went up by 233 per cent—childcare workers are the very workforce
we need more of—to almost $7 000. The course now is free.
I met Liam this morning. Liam is a qualified
mechanic who was looking to become an auto-electrician because he could see the
energy transition coming. He is taking advantage of the fee-free TAFE course to
upskill and be in a position to take advantage of the jobs of the future. I met
Leanne—I think her name was Leanne; let us just say it is—at Armadale when we were opening the
wing there. This young woman had just had a baby. She was a qualified baker and, of course, with a baby she was trying to work out, ''How do I
continue to work while taking care of my kid
at the same time?'' After being a baker for many years, she is an early
childcare student and is reskilling to become an early childhood
education worker. It is such an opportunity to reskill. We are keeping her in
the workforce. These are such important opportunities.
There is a clear difference between
our approach to training and TAFE and that of those opposite. This Labor
government continues to deliver record jobs and record employment. The Liberal
and National Parties delivered record unemployment and massive cuts to TAFE and
training right across this state. I am so proud of the work that we are doing
in this space. It is making a difference to people's lives and
supercharging our economy. We will continue to do this because we know it
creates more WA jobs.
I thank the member for the question. It was great to see her at Joondalup TAFE
this morning, along with the member for Burns Beach, the member for Kingsley
and the Minister for Training and Workforce Development
to celebrate the opening of the brand new electric automotive vehicle training
centre at TAFE . It is part of our $450 million investment in upgrading
our TAFEs —
Ms S.F. McGurk interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : It says $450 million; it is $250 million. That
is how efficient we are: we are doing it at half price ! We are upgrading
our TAFEs the length and breadth of this state. Today we opened the new
state-of-art EV training facility, a $21.3 million investment in making sure
that we not only train our young people and those who are reskilling for the
jobs of today, but also have a workforce for the jobs of the future. The
facility will allow for the training and upskilling of the next generation of
automotive workers right here in Perth's northern suburbs. WA's clean energy transition is on the move, and
it is important that we have the workforce ready to be part of this important historic transition. I encourage anyone who is looking for a career change to
take advantage of the fantastic opportunities across WA—of which there
are plenty. As we know, in 2017 when the WA Labor government was elected, we
froze TAFE fees as we promised. Then, once we had fixed the state's
finances, we were able to rebuild our TAFE system from the ground up. We
removed entirely the fees for 130 TAFE courses—our fee-free training
program is a game changer when it comes to reskilling people in the community—plus
we reduced the fees for another 100 courses.
This has led to a 24 per cent increase in enrolments, with a historic high of
153 000 enrolments in 2023.
Investment in TAFEs was slaughtered
by the Liberal and National Parties when they were last in government. They cut TAFE infrastructure investment—I
cannot believe this stat—by 25 per cent in their last term in
government . At a time when we needed to continue to renew our workforce,
those opposite actually cut investment in TAFEs. Overall, we saw a massive 33 per
cent decline in the number of new apprenticeships and trainees taking place
under them. Of course, they increased fees for some courses by 510 per cent.
Can you imagine, Madam Speaker, that there
was once a time when fees for an enrolled nurse student were increased by 456 per
cent to almost 10 500 bucks? That same
student today pays nothing. The fees to become a residential building drafter
were increased by 390 per cent under the Liberals and Nationals to over
$6 000. Today, those students pay nothing. The fees to train to become a childcare
worker went up by 233 per cent—childcare workers are the very workforce
we need more of—to almost $7 000. The course now is free.
I met Liam this morning. Liam is a qualified
mechanic who was looking to become an auto-electrician because he could see the
energy transition coming. He is taking advantage of the fee-free TAFE course to
upskill and be in a position to take advantage of the jobs of the future. I met
Leanne—I think her name was Leanne; let us just say it is—at Armadale when we were opening the
wing there. This young woman had just had a baby. She was a qualified baker and, of course, with a baby she was trying to work out, ''How do I
continue to work while taking care of my kid
at the same time?'' After being a baker for many years, she is an early
childcare student and is reskilling to become an early childhood
education worker. It is such an opportunity to reskill. We are keeping her in
the workforce. These are such important opportunities.
There is a clear difference between
our approach to training and TAFE and that of those opposite. This Labor
government continues to deliver record jobs and record employment. The Liberal
and National Parties delivered record unemployment and massive cuts to TAFE and
training right across this state. I am so proud of the work that we are doing
in this space. It is making a difference to people's lives and
supercharging our economy. We will continue to do this because we know it
creates more WA jobs.
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