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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-09-02 Daily Xml
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Fee-Free TAFE

Mrs PEARCE (King) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Education, Training and Skills. Can the member update the house on fee-free TAFE and its role in skilling more people to build more homes?

The Hon. B.I. BOYER (Wright—Minister for Education, Training and Skills) (14:51): I thank the member for King for her question and also her advocacy and interest in vocational education and training in the north-eastern suburbs. It was my great pleasure yesterday to give an update to the South Australian public about the success so far of not just fee-free TAFE in terms of how much it has saved South Australians in course fees but also the newest tranche of fee-free courses, which is an additional 1,600 fee-free places, 1,200 of which are being offered by TAFE but the other 400 being offered by other training providers as well in areas that are huge priorities for our state. I know the member for Taylor, the Minister for Housing, would agree with me when I say that we have got a big challenge in front of us in terms of building the new homes, increasing supply that we need in South Australia but making sure that we actually have the skilled workforce to do that.

So far, we have delivered, through fee-free TAFE and our partnership with the federal Albanese government, in excess of $50 million in saved course fees for South Australians. That includes about 22,500 students across TAFE and other non-government RTOs, who have been delivering those courses, which is I think a huge number. It comes at a particularly important time for our state, when we are dealing at the same time with a cost-of-living crisis and a skills crisis. Fee-free courses and fee-free TAFE I think is one of the very few policies that can address both those things at the same time.

The thing that has told me, as the minister and asking the questions you would expect me to ask around whether or not fee-free courses have been a success, is where we are seeing the highest level of enrolments. I think it will make again the member for Taylor very proud to know that when we went away and pulled the figures on where we were seeing the highest level of enrolments in fee-free TAFE, it was the suburbs of Andrews Farm and Davoren Park, where we obviously historically have seen higher levels of unemployment. I think that tells us everything we need to know about the fact that this is of benefit to so many South Australians. It easy for us to take for granted that a subsidised course training cost of perhaps $1,800 to some South Australians might be very affordable but to others it is an enormous barrier to accessing the training they need to get the jobs that are there.

We are at a positive time in South Australian history, where we have seen historically low unemployment. As the Treasurer said, in this place just a couple of weeks ago, we have seen record job vacancies of around 20,000. Those jobs are there, but the barrier that is in the way of people who are seeking to access those jobs is often the training. The fact that fee-free TAFE is being taken up in such high numbers by people in parts of our metropolitan area that have traditionally not had the household income that has enabled them to access that training I think is a fantastic thing.

In terms of these 1,600 places in construction particularly, as I said we are seeing 1,200 delivered by TAFE but 400 delivered by non-government private RTOs as well. Those RTOs, I would like to mention, include ATEC, ARO, Career Employment Group, the Civil Contractors Federation, Flexible Construction Training Assessment, the Housing Industry Association, and North East vocational education college—which, of course, will be of great interest to the member for King and the member for Newland as well.

Most importantly, in terms of making sure we have that workforce there to build the new homes, the courses are being offered in the following areas: landscaping, civil construction, carpentry, concreting, brick and block laying, plumbing, electrotech, air conditioning and refrigeration. These are all vital trades and vital skills that we need more of if we are going to have a chance of being successful in increasing that housing supply we so desperately need in South Australia

It was a great pleasure yesterday to actually come and join some of those apprentices who have accessed these fee-free courses under this new tranche of construction and building, listen to them about the difference that fee-free course has made to them in terms of being able to get into a course which will lead them not just to a great job but a job that is in such a high priority area for this state.

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