LNP pledges TAFE Precinct of Excellence at CQUniversity Rockhampton

The LNP has committed to invest more than $60m, if elected, to a new state-of-the-art precinct to help address the state’s skilled workers shortage, while also supporting health and housing.

The LNP has pledged a $61.1 million investment for a TAFE Precinct of Excellence in Rockhampton if they are successful in the October state election.

The LNP has committed to investing more than $60 million, if elected, to a new state-of-the-art precinct to help address the state’s skilled workers shortage, while also supporting health and housing, if they take the reins from Labor at this state election.

State Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie was in Rockhampton on Monday with opposition spokesman for employment and training Brent Mickelberg and LNP candidate for Rockhampton Donna Kirkland, Keppel candidate Nigel Hutton and Mirani candidate Glen Kelly to announce a $61.1 million investment the TAFE Precinct of Excellence at the North Rockhampton CQUniversity campus.

The precinct would include a trades training centre, a horticultural centre as well as training facilities for metal fabrication, air-conditioning, refrigeration hospitality, IT, visual arts, hairdressing and beauty.

According to the plans the existing TAFE campus would relocate to the TAFE Precinct of Excellence with the Canning St site to deliver expanded support facilities for Rockhampton Hospital.

The deal would also secure 27 hectares of surplus land from the university which, the LNP says, would be prioritised for housing as part of the party’s plan for one million homes by 2044.

The LNP has pledged a $61.1 million investment for a TAFE Precinct of Excellence in Rockhampton if they are successful in the October state election.

The announcement was welcomed by CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor and President Nick Klomp.

“Completing this project will see all VET and Higher Education courses delivered from a single campus on North Rockhampton to supercharge our local workforce and create seamless training pathways for our students,” he said.

“Once complete, this project will deliver hundreds of extra skilled workers – more tradies on workshop floors across industry, more construction workers building desperately needed houses and more skilled locals to fill much needed roles in industry and our small business community.

“We are very excited to build on the past 10 years of work by delivering Central Queenslanders with a purpose-built site to train more skilled workers who will play a critical role in the ongoing growth of our region.

“Additionally, with certainty over our Rockhampton campus footprint, consolidation will also allow CQUniversity to open up surplus land on our North Rockhampton campus for housing development. This land will provide space for hundreds of new houses and is located alongside the path of the Rockhampton Ring Road as well as the start of the Northern Growth Corridor.”

The LNP has pledged a $61.1 million investment for a TAFE Precinct of Excellence in Rockhampton if they are successful in the October state election.

Mr Mickelberg said the TAFE Precinct of Excellence would help put more tradies on the tools to build the houses needed.

“The LNP’s investment will deliver a state-of-the-art campus to train the tradies needed for Queensland’s future, in mining, major construction and housing,” he said.

“We need more tradies on tools to build the homes and power the industries for Queensland’s future.

“This will open the door to more young tradies to start their career and be a clear pathway to securing critical industries right across our state.”

However Training and Skills Development Minister Lance McCallum questioned how the LNP would fund the project.

“The LNP said they’ll reduce debt and deficit, that means any spending commitment they make will be paid for by cuts,” he said.

“What are they going to cut to fund this promise? If they can’t say, it won’t happen.

“The last time the LNP were in government they cut 80 Central Queensland TAFE workers and closed TAFES around Queensland.

“Now they want to hand back billions to mining billionaires meaning they will have to deliver even more cuts to TAFE.”

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said if the LNP were serious about housing in Queensland, they should have asked for help from their Federal leader.

“If the LNP were serious about housing in Queensland, then Jarrod Bleijie, Nigel Hutton and Donna Kirkland should have asked Peter Dutton at the LNP conference to stop blocking the Help to Buy scheme and 8,000 Queenslanders from buying their own home,” she said.

Originally published as LNP pledges TAFE Precinct of Excellence at CQUniversity Rockhampton