Thursday, 18 April 2024

 Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (12:20): (785) After hearing Minister Tierney’s contribution before, my constituency question is: how is the government assisting people in Eastern Victoria to get into TAFEs and do apprenticeships and traineeships? Those opposite like to give me a hard time for mentioning what they did in the 1990s when they got rid of job pathways and privatised and stopped people having jobs for life, but let us talk about in 2010 to 2014 what you did to TAFEs.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, this is a constituency question. It is not an opportunity to attack the opposition. He is going over old terrain, and it is not relevant to the constituency question.

The PRESIDENT: I apologise. I was a little bit distracted at the start of Mr McIntosh’s contribution, so it is very hard for me to rule on that. But I will call Mr McIntosh to his constituency question.

Tom McINTOSH: Thank you. The cuts that occurred between 2010 and 2014 to TAFEs we have been rebuilding from ever since. We are ensuring that people who want to go to TAFE and who want to work in the regions have the best quality and best skills possible. I am thankful I got to go through TAFE at a time when there was a Labor government, because this side is absolutely committed to TAFE. You are absolutely opposed to it. As I said before, can the minister please inform me and my constituents in Eastern Victoria, like here in Echuca, of the incredible opportunities people are getting, which those in Eastern Victoria have too?