Skills & Training

Summaries in reported speech - not a transcript.

• Apprenticeships

  Senate · Tuesday 15 September 2026 · Marielle Smith ALP

  The senator asked the minister to outline the impact of government policies on trade apprenticeship completions and commencements.

  Answered by Murray Watt

• Vocational Education and Training

  Senate · Wednesday 9 September 2026 · Helen Polley ALP

  The member asked how the government is delivering change through greater access to TAFE. She requested an update on free TAFE figures and asked about programs to keep workers in industries like early childhood education.

  Answered by Murray Watt

• Early Childhood Education and Care

  Senate · Wednesday 9 September 2026 · Karen Grogan ALP

  The member enquired how the government was employing free TAFE to increase the number of people in early learning and what measures it was implementing to assist educators in remaining within the sector. She further ques...

  Answered by Jess Walsh

• Tertiary Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 9 September 2026 · Marion Scrymgour ALP

  The member asked how the government was ensuring access to TAFE opportunities and whether any risks threatened this work.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Early Childhood Education and Care

  Senate · Wednesday 12 August 2026 · Tammy Tyrrell ALP

  The member asked how the government was backing the early learning workforce and improving access to quality care. She specifically inquired about the impact of free TAFE on training new educators and whether there were ...

  Answered by Jess Walsh

• Tertiary Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 12 August 2026 · Matt Smith ALP

  The member asked how the free TAFE program was backing Australians to get skills and what stood in the way of more opportunities.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Tertiary Education and Training

  Senate · Thursday 25 June 2026 · Josh Dolega ALP

  The member asked for an update on free TAFE enrolments and their impact on the economy. He also asked about other programs supporting skilled workers in housing construction and the care sector.

  Answered by Murray Watt

• Budget

  House of Representatives · Monday 22 June 2026 · Llew O'Brien Nationals

  The member asked whether a bricklayer, farmer, or hairdresser with innovative ideas would be eligible for the innovative business capital gains tax concession.

  Answered by Jim Chalmers

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 3 June 2026 · Alicia Payne ALP

  The member asked how the Key Apprenticeship Program was supporting tradies to build homes and what the response to the program had been.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Tuesday 2 June 2026 · David Smith ALP

  The member asked how the free TAFE program is backing Australians into needed jobs and whether its future is certain.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Fuel

  Senate · Thursday 26 March 2026 · Kerrynne Liddle Liberal

  The member asked how the government allowed the fuel crisis to escalate to the point of disrupting trade, jobs, food supply, and health services. She cited specific impacts on apprentices, vegetable growers, and police o...

  Answered by Penny Wong

• Skills and Training

  House of Representatives · Monday 23 March 2026 · Zaneta Mascarenhas ALP

  The member asked how the government was facilitating skill acquisition through free TAFE and apprenticeships and inquired about potential risks to these programs.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Apprenticeships

  Senate · Thursday 5 March 2026 · Charlotte Walker ALP

  The member asked how many Australians had signed up for apprenticeships under the Key Apprenticeship Program. She also asked if there were any risks to the program.

  Answered by Murray Watt

• Tertiary Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Monday 9 February 2026 · Mary Doyle ALP

  The member asked what the government is doing to cut student debt and make skills training cheaper and quicker.

  Answered by Jason Clare

• Tertiary Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Tuesday 3 February 2026 · Matt Gregg ALP

  The member asked how free TAFE was supporting Australians to gain skills and whether there were any threats to its future.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Tuesday 25 November 2025 · Tania Lawrence ALP

  The member asked what measures were being taken to assist TAFE students with living costs while training.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Monday 3 November 2025 · Louise Miller-Frost ALP

  The member asked how the government was removing barriers to skills training for Australians and what the response to these measures had been.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Thursday 9 October 2025 · Basem Abdo ALP

  The member asked how the free TAFE program is helping Australians pursue qualifications and how Australians have responded.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 8 October 2025 · Mary Doyle ALP

  The member asked how the government was ensuring Australians, particularly apprentices, could benefit from clean energy opportunities and if there were alternative approaches.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Apprenticeships

  House of Representatives · Monday 25 August 2025 · Tania Lawrence ALP

  The member asked what the government was doing to increase apprenticeships, particularly in construction, and what obstacles existed.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Tertiary Education

  House of Representatives · Thursday 31 July 2025 · Claire Clutterham ALP

  The member asked how the Albanese Labor government's policy to cut student debt would benefit Australian university and vocational education and training students.

  Answered by Anthony Albanese

• Tertiary Education

  House of Representatives · Tuesday 29 July 2025 · Renee Coffey ALP

  The member asked the Prime Minister to detail how the government was implementing its policy to reduce student debt and the specific benefits for young Australians in tertiary education.

  Answered by Anthony Albanese

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Thursday 24 July 2025 · Ash Ambihaipahar ALP

  The member asked how the government was assisting apprentices and TAFE students with living costs.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Cost of Living

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 23 July 2025 · Ali France ALP

  The member asked how the government was delivering lasting cost-of-living relief, particularly for young people, students, and apprentices.

  Answered by Anthony Albanese

• New Vehicle Efficiency Standard

  Senate · Tuesday 11 February 2025 · Bridget McKenzie Nationals

  The senator asked why the government was imposing costs on car manufacturers and families during a cost-of-living crisis, citing specific tax estimates for Toyota, Ford, and Kia vehicles. She questioned the taxation of h...

  Answered by Malarndirri McCarthy

• Vocational Education and Training

  Senate · Wednesday 5 February 2025 · Anne Urquhart ALP

  The member asked what steps the government had taken to reduce training costs and how this helped Australians gain skills for desired jobs.

  Answered by Murray Watt

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 5 February 2025 · Meryl Swanson ALP

  The member asked what steps the government had taken to reduce training costs and whether any proposals would leave Australians worse off.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Tuesday 4 February 2025 · Mary Doyle ALP

  The member asked how the government had made training more affordable and if alternative proposals would leave Australians worse off.

  Answered by Andrew Giles

• Tertiary Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Monday 14 September 2026 · Fiona Phillips (Gilmore) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The House debated a motion acknowledging National TAFE Day and celebrating the contributions of TAFE staff and students. Labor members highlighted the success of the Free TAFE initiative, citing high enrolment numbers an...

• Key Apprenticeship Program

  House of Representatives · Monday 17 August 2026 · Tom French (Moore) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The debate centred on a motion moved by the Australian Labor Party to recognise the Key Apprenticeship Program, which provides financial incentives to apprentices and employers in priority trades. Labor members argued th...

• Vocational Education and Training

  House of Representatives · Monday 29 June 2026 · Matt Smith (Leichhardt) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The debate centred on a motion moved by the Australian Labor Party to recognise government leadership in strengthening the Vocational Education and Training system through the Free TAFE initiative. Labor members highligh...

• Employment

  House of Representatives · Monday 22 June 2026 · Basem Abdo (Calwell) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The debate centred on a motion moved by the Australian Labor Party regarding the dignity of work and proposed reforms to employment services. Labor members argued that the current one-size-fits-all system is outdated and...

• Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027; Consideration in Detail

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 3 June 2026 · Andrew Hastie (Canning) (Liberal Party) Liberal

  Members debated the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027, with opposition and independent members criticising net zero policies, tax changes, and cuts to apprenticeship incentives, drought preparedness, and nature conser...

• Free TAFE Program

  House of Representatives · Monday 23 March 2026 · Jodie Belyea (Dunkley) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The House of Representatives debated a motion recognising the success and permanence of the Free TAFE program. Labor members argued the policy expanded opportunity, addressed skills shortages, and provided cost-of-living...

• Artificial Intelligence

  House of Representatives · Monday 23 March 2026 · Aaron Violi (Casey) (Liberal Party) Liberal

  The debate centred on a motion moved by the Liberal Party arguing that the government lacked a coherent plan for workers affected by AI and had created policy uncertainty. Labor members defended the National AI Plan, hig...

• Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples: 18th Anniversary

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 4 March 2026 · Kara Cook (Bonner) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  Members marked the 18th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations by reviewing the latest Closing the Gap data, which showed mixed results with several key indicators worsening. Speakers emphasised th...

• Key Apprenticeship Program

  House of Representatives · Monday 2 March 2026 · Jerome Laxale (Bennelong) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The debate centred on a motion moved by the Australian Labor Party to commend the government's Key Apprenticeship Program (KAP) for addressing skills shortages and supporting housing construction. Labor members highlight...

• National Skills Agreement

  House of Representatives · Monday 9 February 2026 · Cassandra Fernando (Holt) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The debate centred on the effectiveness of the government's National Skills Agreement and free TAFE initiatives in addressing national skills shortages. Labor members argued that the agreement has successfully reduced sh...

• Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025, Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025; Second Reading

  House of Representatives · Monday 9 February 2026 · Tim Wilson (Goldstein) (Liberal Party) Liberal

  The debate focused on the establishment of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission to steward higher and vocational education and implement the Universities Accord. Government members supported the bill as essential...

• Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025, VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading

  Senate · Wednesday 26 November 2025 · Malarndirri McCarthy (NT) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The Minister for Indigenous Australians moved the second reading of two bills in the Senate. The first bill introduces a requirement for streaming services with at least one million Australian subscribers to invest 10 pe...

• VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 26 November 2025 · Anne Urquhart (Braddon) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The House of Representatives debated the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025, which addresses a legislative gap regarding the handling of tax file numbers by vocational education and training providers. ...

• VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading

  House of Representatives · Tuesday 25 November 2025 · Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The debate concerned a technical legislative fix to retrospectively authorise vocational education providers to handle student tax file numbers between 2017 and 2025, aligning the law with existing administrative practic...

• Tertiary Education

  House of Representatives · Monday 24 November 2025 · Claire Clutterham (Sturt) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The debate centred on a motion commending the Government for reducing Higher Education Loan Program and vocational education debt by 20 per cent, raising the minimum repayment threshold to $67,000, and introducing a marg...

• VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 5 November 2025 · Scott Buchholz (Wright) (Liberal Party) Liberal

  The debate concerned a technical bill designed to retrospectively authorise the handling of student tax file numbers by VET student loan providers between 2017 and 2025, addressing a legislative gap identified during a d...

• Building and Construction Industry

  House of Representatives · Monday 27 October 2025 · Scott Buchholz (Wright) (Liberal Party) Liberal

  The debate centred on a motion moved by the Liberal Party condemning the government for a collapse in apprentice numbers and building approvals, which was argued to exacerbate the housing crisis. Labor members rejected t...

• Artificial Intelligence

  House of Representatives · Monday 27 October 2025 · Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The House debated a motion acknowledging the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on Australia. The mover highlighted government investments in skills training and safety measures, while other speakers raised...

• National Skills Week

  House of Representatives · Thursday 28 August 2025 · Lisa Chesters (Bendigo) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  Members of the House of Representatives delivered statements marking National Skills Week, focusing on the importance of vocational education and training (VET) for the Australian economy. The majority of speakers, repre...

• National Skills Week

  House of Representatives · Wednesday 27 August 2025 · Andrew Giles (Scullin) (Australian Labor Party) ALP

  The Minister for Skills and Training opened the debate by highlighting the success of free TAFE and the Key Apprenticeship Program, citing increased apprentice numbers and new funding agreements. The Shadow Minister for ...