Fee-free TAFE not risk-free
Senator Tammy Tyrrell, Independent Senator for Tasmania, voted against Labor's fee-free TAFE bill this evening.
“The current fee-free TAFE system has serious flaws. Millions of dollars are going towards courses that students are never turning up for. With the budget in serious debt, we can’t afford to be throwing money up the wall. That’s why I didn’t support the bill. I’m not ready to gamble millions of taxpayer dollars on a system that isn’t working.
Senator Tyrrell says she would support a fee-free TAFE system where a student gets a VET student loan and the loan is forgiven by the Federal Government once the student completes the course. That way the course is still free for anyone who completes the qualification.
Senator Tyrrell also says the Federal Government needs to be more strategic with the role TAFE plays in addressing our skills shortages.
“The skilled migration visa list should be tied to the occupations of the fee-free TAFE courses. This way we’re plugging the gaps short-term via migration and long-term via training. 90,000 tradies to build houses aren’t going to spring up from magic beans overnight!”
Labor's fee-free TAFE bill passed the Senate at 11pm on 26 March 2025.
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