❓ Question regarding the McGowan government's investment in training and how it will create more opportunities for Western Australian workers to build and deliver Metronet. The Minister's answer details TAFE upgrades and fee reductions, while criticising the opposition's record on TAFE fees and infrastructure projects.
AnsweredQoN 869Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METRONET —
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
869. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to improving job opportunities for young Western
Australians by making TAFE more affordable and investing in new facilities such
as the Metronet trade training centre. Can the minister outline to the house
how this government's investment in training will create more
opportunities for Western Australian workers to build and deliver Metronet?
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
869. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to improving job opportunities for young Western
Australians by making TAFE more affordable and investing in new facilities such
as the Metronet trade training centre. Can the minister outline to the house
how this government's investment in training will create more
opportunities for Western Australian workers to build and deliver Metronet?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for Forrestfield for that question. This morning, I was with
the Premier, the Minister for Education and Training, the Minister for
Police and the member for Swan Hills out at the North Metropolitan TAFE Midland
campus, looking at one of the latest initiatives we have in both the Metronet
and training space, which is an upgrade to the TAFE campus to become a specialist
Metronet trade training centre. This is the delivery of yet another commitment
to improve our infrastructure in Western Australia and those training
opportunities. Under the plan, the TAFE workshops will be upgraded to allow
people to learn specialist skills to be involved in the construction of
Metronet, the railcars, and, of course, the operation of our rail system into
the future. It is about giving young people the best chance to get long-term
secure employment. Of course, that is coupled with the announcement yesterday
of a 50 per cent reduction in our fees for 34 TAFE courses, including three
courses specialising in the Metronet
construction. Just by way of example, civil construction courses under the
Leader of the Opposition's term went from just over $600 to over $1 000—that
was under the Leader of the Opposition's watch. That is a massive increase.
The cost of those courses in civil construction will drop to $334 under a Labor
government. Metronet courses that will benefit include civil construction,
civil construction plan operations and other civil construction.
Many mothers and fathers raised with
us at the time of the last election that they could not get their kids into
training because of the efforts of the current Leader of the Opposition. As a mother
of three young children, I want all future
young people to have the opportunity to be involved in training and to get secure
jobs. The Leader of the Opposition wrecked the aspirations of and opportunity
for thousands of Western Australians when she was the Minister for
Training and Workforce Development. She wrecked those aspirations. Does the
Leader of the Opposition apologise? No; she gloats about it. She gloats about
the fact that she made it unaffordable for young people to enter training. She does not apologise; she gloats about the
fact that there were record increases of TAFE fees under her watch.
I have heard a bit from the Leader
of the Opposition in her train wreck interviews over the past few weeks on
radio. On top of gloating about the increase in TAFE fees, what has she said
about Metronet? She said that the biggest problem in Western Australia is that
we do not have the population that we need to sustain big public infrastructure
like rail projects. She increased TAFE fees, and now she wants to cancel
Metronet projects because she believes we do not have the population to justify
them. She created job uncertainty, increased fees and made sure that many
thousands of Western Australians missed out on opportunities for training. We
will not do that. That is why we reduced TAFE fees to encourage young people to
get into training and to create long-term, vital infrastructure projects like
Metronet.
thank the member for Forrestfield for that question. This morning, I was with
the Premier, the Minister for Education and Training, the Minister for
Police and the member for Swan Hills out at the North Metropolitan TAFE Midland
campus, looking at one of the latest initiatives we have in both the Metronet
and training space, which is an upgrade to the TAFE campus to become a specialist
Metronet trade training centre. This is the delivery of yet another commitment
to improve our infrastructure in Western Australia and those training
opportunities. Under the plan, the TAFE workshops will be upgraded to allow
people to learn specialist skills to be involved in the construction of
Metronet, the railcars, and, of course, the operation of our rail system into
the future. It is about giving young people the best chance to get long-term
secure employment. Of course, that is coupled with the announcement yesterday
of a 50 per cent reduction in our fees for 34 TAFE courses, including three
courses specialising in the Metronet
construction. Just by way of example, civil construction courses under the
Leader of the Opposition's term went from just over $600 to over $1 000—that
was under the Leader of the Opposition's watch. That is a massive increase.
The cost of those courses in civil construction will drop to $334 under a Labor
government. Metronet courses that will benefit include civil construction,
civil construction plan operations and other civil construction.
Many mothers and fathers raised with
us at the time of the last election that they could not get their kids into
training because of the efforts of the current Leader of the Opposition. As a mother
of three young children, I want all future
young people to have the opportunity to be involved in training and to get secure
jobs. The Leader of the Opposition wrecked the aspirations of and opportunity
for thousands of Western Australians when she was the Minister for
Training and Workforce Development. She wrecked those aspirations. Does the
Leader of the Opposition apologise? No; she gloats about it. She gloats about
the fact that she made it unaffordable for young people to enter training. She does not apologise; she gloats about the
fact that there were record increases of TAFE fees under her watch.
I have heard a bit from the Leader
of the Opposition in her train wreck interviews over the past few weeks on
radio. On top of gloating about the increase in TAFE fees, what has she said
about Metronet? She said that the biggest problem in Western Australia is that
we do not have the population that we need to sustain big public infrastructure
like rail projects. She increased TAFE fees, and now she wants to cancel
Metronet projects because she believes we do not have the population to justify
them. She created job uncertainty, increased fees and made sure that many
thousands of Western Australians missed out on opportunities for training. We
will not do that. That is why we reduced TAFE fees to encourage young people to
get into training and to create long-term, vital infrastructure projects like
Metronet.
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