TAFE centres critical to rebooting manufacturing in QLD, LNP Leader David Crisafulli says

The LNP says its proposed new TAFE centres are critical to rebooting manufacturing in the state, while Labor reminded voters the opposition looked to overseas for production the last time they were in power.

The LNP says its proposed TAFE centres are critical to rebooting manufacturing in the state after decades of decline in the sector.

LNP Leader David Crisafulli said one of the three centres, which are part of the party’s election commitments, would be dedicated to training workers in complex manufacturing areas.

“We’ve put forward a plan to make sure that we train the next generation of people in manufacturing, and we’re going to the election with a plan for three new TAFE centres,” he said.

“One of them will be focused exclusively on advanced manufacturing, and I want Queenslanders to know that’s how serious we are about training the next generation.

“If we can couple that with building things on time and on budget and our procurement policies that focuses heavily on using local suppliers, that is a recipe to get this state humming again and returning to the days where we were proud to build things in Queensland.’’

Mr Crisafulli was responding to a question from The Courier-Mail reader Greg Brady of Grasstree Beach.

Premier Steven Miles said in response to his question, “When will the state government start seriously looking at ramping up manufacturing and production in Queensland to create employment and export industries?’’, that the Labor government had fostered large-scale manufacturing in its decade in office.

That contrasted with the last time the LNP was in power when it outsourced New Generation Rollingstock train production to India, leading to expensive rectification works once it was realised the carriages were too high for station platforms.

He said bringing manufacturing home to Queensland was something he was “really proud of’’. “The fact is, we can make things here and in the process, skill up our workforce and create good local jobs,’’ he said.

Vecco Group Managing Director Tom Northcott and Premier Steven Miles with samples of vanadium electrolyte at the Vecco Group battery facility in Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

“For example, we’re making trains in Maryborough now, trains that the LNP didn’t think we should make in Queensland.

“In fact, they thought they should be made in India. And that train factory has had to spend the last few years fixing those half price trains from India that the LNP ordered.

“We’ve been fixing them. Now we’ll make them.’’

Mr Miles said Queensland was also making new buses in Brisbane and making batteries in Townsville using the critical minerals of the northwest region.

“We want to see more manufacturing here in Queensland,’’ he said.

“We’ve embedded Queensland Made into our procurement processes so that we are using our big build and our budget to incentivise local manufacturing, and that is bringing jobs and investment to Queensland.”

Originally published as TAFE centres critical to rebooting manufacturing in QLD, LNP Leader David Crisafulli says