Labor says 355,000 enrolled in fee-free TAFE

Labor is revealing new figures showing that more than 355,000 Australians signed up to fee-free TAFE courses over 2023.

Skills and Training Minister Brendan O'Connor. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor will argue that more than 355,000 Australians have enrolled in fee-free TAFE across Australia last year – beating the government’s target of 180,000 – amid data showing that Labor’s policies are failing to drive new enrolments.

Official figures released this month showed, for the 2023 year to September, the total number of government-funded students in public and private vocational training increased by fewer than 20,000, or 1.7 per cent, to 1.07 million, versus the same period in the previous year.

National Centre for Vocational Education Research figures revealed, across the nine-month period, government-funded TAFE students lifted by 880, or 0.2 per cent, to 565,200. It showed the government was able to exceed its 180,000 fee-free TAFE places target because it was covering costs of courses for students who already were enrolled.

Rather than talking up the extra enrolments in fee-free TAFE courses, Mr O’Connor said the government had “helped ease cost-of-living pressures for students” and was “helping respond to the worst skills crisis we have experienced in 50 years”. He said the removal of financial barriers in areas facing significant skill shortages meant there were 355,557 Australians who were enrolled in fee-free TAFE across the past year.

But opposition skills and training spokeswoman Sussan Ley argued earlier this month that the former ­Coalition government’s JobTrainer program in 2021 had done more to drive new enrolments. She said the number of government-funded enrolments had dropped by 50,000 across the two years to September 2023.

On Wednesday Mr O’Connor will reveal that, across 2023, there were 82,400 fee-free TAFE enrolments in the care sector; 31,200 enrolments in the technology and digital sector; 24,200 enrolments in the construction sector; 19,200 enrolments in the early childhood sector; and 14,600 enrolments in the agriculture sector.

The government says a Victorian training to be a nurse can now save $15,000, while a West Australian undertaking a certificate III in early childhood education and care can save $3928. Someone in South Australia doing a diploma of information technology can save up to $6231.

Mr O’Connor said the government was providing a further $414.1m across 2024-26 to states and territories to fund the delivery of at least another 300,000 fee-free TAFE and VET places.

“Fee-free TAFE has transformed the lives of students from diverse backgrounds right across the country, at the same time making sure there is a strong pipeline of workers to fill in-demand jobs,” he said.

“The initiative has helped ease cost-of-living pressures for students and is helping respond to the worst skills crisis we have experienced in 50 years.

“Fee-free TAFE is helping Australians to acquire skills to ensure they have meaningful work, well-paid jobs and career progression. And it’s delivering the skills that are vital to the future prosperity of our businesses and the economy.”