Labor Candidate for Gilmore, and former TAFE Teacher, Fiona Phillips, today backed in Labor Leader Bill Shorten’s Budget Reply announcement to scrap upfront fees for 100,000 TAFE students who choose to learn the skills that Australia needs.
The Budget Reply announcement adds to Labor’s strong suite of policies to invest in TAFE and apprenticeships and ensure Australians have the skills they need to succeed.
This will help people right across the Gilmore electorate, at all our TAFE campuses, gain the skills they need to get a trade, a traineeship and a quality job – and make it easier for local businesses to fill skills shortages.
Youth unemployment is at record levels within Gilmore under Ann Sudmalis and her Liberal Government, the highest youth unemployment in NSW. Labor’s plan to scrap upfront fees for 100,000 TAFE students will help both young people and mature aged people in Gilmore.
Ann Sudmalis and her Liberal Government’s savage cuts to skills and training has meant that Australia has 140,000 fewer apprentices today than when the Liberals were elected in 2013. In Gilmore, TAFE courses have been cut, pre-apprenticeships axed and many TAFE teachers have lost their jobs.
In addition to our commitment to waive fees for 100,000 students, Labor’s $470 million plan to boost TAFE, apprenticeships and skills for Australians includes:
Investing $100 million in modernising TAFE facilities around the country.
Guaranteeing at least two out of three Commonwealth training dollars goes to TAFE.
Ensuring one in every ten jobs on Commonwealth priority projects are filled by Australian apprentices.
Providing 10,000 pre-apprentice programs for young people who want to learn a trade.
Providing 20,000 adult apprentice programs for older workers who need to retrain.
While Ann Sudmalis, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals have cut over $3 billion from skills and TAFE to pay for an $80 billion tax handout to the big banks and multinationals, Labor has a plan to invest in TAFE and apprenticeships, and ensure people in Gilmore have the skills they need to succeed. Media Release
