Address to the House of Representatives, Statements by Members

Wednesday 20 November 2024

Skills drive the future of young people and the future of Australia. The WorldSkills competition showcases Australian vocational education and training on the international stage and puts centre stage the government's mission to continue strengthening our world-class TAFEs and VET sector. I was pleased to recently join a group of fee-free CIT students and staff and parliamentarians at an event to welcome back to Australia our WorldSkills team, the Skillaroos, who participated in the recent WorldSkills event. This year's competition in France was the largest ever, with over 1,400 young people from 70 countries participating. As Australians, we are competitive, especially when it comes to international competition, and the Skillaroos came 14th this year—a great achievement.

Many of the occupations in demand across Australia have direct VET pathways, demonstrating that education and training are part of the solution to the nation's skills shortage. Another critical aspect of the skills shortage question is making sure everyone has access to top-quality education and training. We believe in investing in our people. Our greatest asset is our people. By investing in them, we are ensuring all Australians have the skills and capacity to contribute to a thriving economy and strong communities. That's why the Albanese government is investing in fee-free TAFE and in public education across the country.