TAFE
TRAINING COURSES — INVESTMENT
785. Ms H.M. BEAZLEY to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to creating jobs and providing affordable TAFE
courses.
(1) Can the
Premier advise the house how this government is utilising the state's
strong economic position and thriving jobs market to provide training
opportunities for Western Australians?
(2) Can the
Premier advise the house how the state government is working with the
commonwealth to address the critical skills shortages facing WA?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
(1)–(2) I thank the member and also the Minister for
Education and Training for joining me yesterday at Bentley TAFE, where we announced some of these new
initiatives that we are putting in place in conjunction with the
commonwealth government. As members know, we have made training significantly
more affordable than it was, and Western Australia is now acknowledged as the
most affordable jurisdiction for training of
any of the states of Australia. When we came to office, we reversed what the
last government did. Members might
recall that the then training minister, Liza Harvey, the former member for
Scarborough, put up the cost of some
courses by 500 per cent for Western Australians. We reversed those massive
hikes; we froze TAFE fees initially and then reduced some—in
fact, many—by at least 72 per cent.
What we have signed with the Albanese
Labor government is a new initiative that is a $112 million joint package that
includes infrastructure upgrades at Midland TAFE for a renewable jobs and
training hub, a $2 million state-of-the-art
commercial kitchen at Bentley Pines Training Restaurant, and $3 million for a
trade training centre at Ellenbrook Secondary College. It will deliver 18 800
free TAFE and training places. The courses we are targeting include the care,
technology and digital, agriculture, construction, hospitality and tourism
sectors. There will be free courses; for instance, there will be 8 500 places
in the care sector. This will cover course fees for 58 full TAFE qualifications
and course fees and resource fees for 56 skill sets. It is particularly for a range
of priority groups, including Indigenous Western Australians, young people,
people who have been out of work for a considerable period, people with
disabilities and the like. This is a wonderful new initiative to get Western Australians
trained, particularly some of those people who have had difficulties accessing
the labour market.