Sarah Courtney,Minister for Skills, Training and Workforce Growth
In yet another clear demonstration that Rebecca White’s Labor Party stands for nothing, yesterday Labor confirmed that they would will not back our plan for TasTAFE.
Labor has had months to make their position clear and we had hoped they were leaving their options open following their disastrous election result.
Disappointingly, it appears Labor have reverted to type and are refusing to back a policy simply because it is the Government’s position.
This is despite our plan having the backing of key industry organisations, like the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tasmanian Hospitality Association, Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing and Energy Council, Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania, Civil Contractors Federation, Master Builders Association, Fruit Growers Tasmania, and the Housing Industry Association of Tasmania, among others.
Importantly, our plan not only addresses structural elements of TasTAFE’s operations, it will deliver $98.6 million in new investments for TasTAFE, including new funding to recruit 100 more staff, build new facilities, resource new equipment, develop new courses, and increase access for rural and regional areas.
Labor must listen to the feedback local businesses across Tasmania are telling them and support the Government’s TasTAFE legislation this week.
Last year Rebecca White said “TasTAFE is broken”*, that TasTAFE needed to be rebuilt “from the ground up”*, and that vocational education and training in Tasmania needed to be more efficient.
The question for Labor now is do they stand by their own past positions, and if they don’t support the Government’s plan what is their actual alternative?
Endorsements –
Michael Bailey from the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (op ed, October 1): “Tasmanian industry and the business community is unified in its support for the full set of PESRAC recommendations relating to TasTAFE” … “We want a TasTAFE with flexibility to deliver training” and “what we need is a transformed TasTAFE that looks and acts more like the businesses and industries that will be employing.”
AJL Group: “the Government’s approach for a transition is desperately needed to assist Industry not only to survive but thrive.”
Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing and Energy Council: “TMEC is seeking a TasTAFE which is better synchronised to both the core technical training (traditional apprenticeships and traineeships) as well as the emerging technical training needs being driven by new industries (defence, renewable energy, etc) and new technologies and materials…”
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania: “TICT supports this legislation as a critical opportunity to revitalise public VET for the tourism and hospitality sectors in Tasmania. We believe legislative reforms are necessary to enable TasTAFE to be more industry-focussed…”
Master Builders Association of Tasmania: “…a more nimble business model which can better respond to the fast changing demands of industry is crucial for TasTAFE to meet the future training needs of the building and construction industry. … We urge Parliament to pass these reforms in full”
National Electrical and Communications Association: “NECA is highly supportive of the proposed legislative changes, and looks forward to working closely with the Tasmanian Government to ensure the desired improvements to TasTAFE are delivered in a manner satisfactory to industry and government once the legislation is passed.”
Carers Tasmania: “We welcome the potential for flexibility in the delivery of TasTAFE services, to ensure that students can access quality learning opportunities that are affordable and accessible in flexible delivery models that fit with different circumstances.”
Housing Industry Association of Tasmania: “The changes proposed would also enable TasTAFE to ramp up training delivery in high demand and emerging industries or sectors while offering flexible arrangements to support training delivery at times that work better for businesses and employees.”
Civil Contractors Federation: “Webelievethat the proposed reforms would enable TasTAFE to better provide industry the right training at the right time to the right people in the right place. …We urge the Government to implement these reforms as they are fundamental to helping the civil sector build the high vis army Tasmania needs.”
Tasmanian Forest Products Association: “The TFPA is supportive of the TasTAFE transition based on that it will become a future-focused and market-aligned training provider that is responsive to the needs of Tasmanian learners, employers and industries, and provides more Tasmanians with the skills they need to get jobs now and into the future.”
Fruit Growers Association of Tasmania: We support the Tasmanian Government’s vision for TasTAFE to be a future focused and market aligned training provider that is responsive to the needs of Tasmanian learners, employers and industries. … , it is essential that TasTAFE has the right foundations and structure, and the right tools to ensure it can be flexible enough over a reasonable time frame to be flexible, adjust and work more closely with industry and employers and deliver the required training at the required times.
Tasmanian Hospitality Association: “The Tasmanian Hospitality Association is supportive of the Tasmanian Government’s efforts to modernize this important training institution. Importantly, an industry-focused and responsive training institution is essential for the hospitality industry in Tasmania, the third largest employing industry in the state.”
*Labor’s Plan for Jobs – November 2020
