Extra 180,000 free TAFE places created in $1.1 billion deal

An extra 180,000 fee-free TAFE places will be created across the country from next year, in an agreement hatched between the federal, state and territory governments ahead of today’s jobs summit.

Premiers and chief ministers struck the $1.1 billion deal with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting, in a cost-sharing arrangement that was announced during Albanese’s opening address to the summit on Thursday morning.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the creation of an extra 180,000 fee-free TAFE places.Credit: James Brickwood

“In recognition of the urgent challenges facing our nation, we are taking action now with a billion-dollar training blitz driven by public TAFE,” Albanese said in his opening speech to the two day event.

“We want to see more Australians gaining the skills they need to find good jobs, in areas of national priority.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government wanted to release a statement of priorities that covers areas ready for immediate action this year, “and then some others that will be subject to further work when that is part of the white paper process or subsequent budgets.”

He urged attendees to “draw a line under a wasted decade of conflict ... that has held us back”.

Albanese said it was his “great hope” the summit would mark the beginning of “a new culture of co-operation” between businesses, unions, and other interest groups.

“Let’s promise each other that we won’t spend them playing our greatest hits, re-hashing the same arguments or re-heating old conflicts. We have not gathered here to dig deeper trenches on the same old battlefield,” he said.

“Our goal and indeed our responsibility – all of us – is to carry the conversation to the common ground, where the work is done and the progress is made.”

Chalmers said the summit, which will discuss lifting pay, increasing gender equality, and supporting skills, came at a “critical juncture” for the economy, where stagnant wages, unworkable migration settings, and flatling living standards were all at play.

“I think that we all recognise that while our economy is growing, these challenges that I’ve gone through are growing as well. Some of them are imposed on us by the world, some of them are home grown,” he said. “Some of them are new, but many of them are longstanding.”

Grattan Institute chief executive Danielle Wood said committing to maintaining full employment was the most important promise the businesses, unions and other groups at the jobs summit could make for the Australian economy.

“Can we today agree to make full employment our economic lodestar?” she said. “A commitment to strive to maintain full employment is probably the single biggest commitment we could make to deliver better economic outcomes for Australians.”

Fortescue Metals head Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest said Australia must boost its female workforce.

“Women in our workforce is the great unsung giant which we’re not using,” Forrest said, adding Australia needed more skilled labour and to train up its existing population.

Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott said he wanted to talk to anyone who would listen about boosting the participation of Australians living with disability in the workforce.

He said the participation rate of people living with disability had not changed in 28 years.

“I’m 31 years old, we’re ready to work if, you know, we have the choice,” he said. “We want to work, but all the people with disabilities don’t get given that opportunity because people think we can’t do it.”

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