Brendan O’Connor: Fee-free TAFE can change lives and our economy

About 50 years ago, the Whitlam Government sought to significantly widen educational opportunities for all Australians, and reform post-school training. 

The focus was on increasing participation, both at the school and tertiary levels, and it represented a dramatic social and cultural shift.

Whitlam’s government improved our tertiary education sectors, established national training and removed cost barriers for students.

Today, the Albanese Government is materially reforming our vocational education and training (VET) sector.

We’re rebuilding a sector wilfully neglected by the previous government because we understand a strong VET sector is critical.

Today is National TAFE Day, which is the perfect opportunity to highlight that, whether it’s re-training people for a career change or upskilling workers to help them adapt to rapidly changing labour markets.

TAFE is one of our greatest assets for ensuring our country is well-positioned for future skills challenges, and meeting those challenges will be no small feat.

Upon entering government, I was immediately struck by the skills shortage we inherited.

OECD data identified Australia as having the second-highest labour shortage amongst OECD countries.

The Skills Priority List, which shows what occupations are in shortage nearly doubled, jumping from 153 to 286 in a year.

And yet, despite this landscape, nine...