Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It seems like we are on bit of theme here because I too want to talk about my school speech nights from the last couple of weeks and to talk about some great news that we have in Capricornia on trade training centres. It was great in the fortnight that we were away from Canberra to be back home for quite a number of my school speech nights, stretching from the Capricorn Coast, out through a lot of the mining towns and up into the northern part of the electorate to places like Mirani and Sarina. It was great to be there to congratulate the students and teachers, and the parents for the support they have given their children through this year of schooling. We all wish them well in their future endeavours.

I could not help thinking in question time today that the parents and teachers particularly, but also the students, would have been very reassured had they been able to hear question time because every single question from this side of the House was about skills and education. I think that everyone sitting in those auditoriums over the last couple of weeks would have been very pleased to know that the government places such priority on something that they as parents, teachers and students clearly see as very important and valuable as well.

I got the great news about the latest round of trade training centres while I was on the road between schools speech nights in my mining towns. A cluster of schools within the Bowen Basin, made up of Dysart, Capella, Clermont and Middlemount schools, was successful in attaining trade training centres. Those schools have gotten together to put forward a cluster proposal whereby the different schools will host different facilities covering a range of different trades. Dysart State High School is going to have a diesel-fitting facility. Clermont and Capella will share a facility focusing on rural operations, which is very important to that district. Clermont State High School will also have a facility for gaining construction qualifications and Capella State High School will be able to host the hospitality facilities. Those schools will be able to share facilities and students from right across the Central Highlands will be able to obtain up to certificate III across quite a range of skill areas.

It is also great news for those communities that young people will be able to pursue opportunities within those rural towns—and opportunities abound in places like Dysart, Middlemount, Clermont and Capella, whether it is in the mining industry or in the support services that go with it. It is really great news. I know that the schools worked very hard to put their application together. They put a lot of thought into how they could work cooperatively and also draw in other organisations within the community who have also been very supportive—organisations such as Isaac Regional Council, for one, and also the mining companies such as Rio Tinto, BMA and Anglo who operate in those towns.

We are just about ready to open a trade training centre from the very first round of funding, and that is the one at Rockhampton State High School in my home town of Rockhampton. Rockhampton State High School were very quick off the mark when we took office in 2007, getting me over to tell me about their plans now that we are making available $2½ billion for trade training centres. Very soon they will be in a position to open their engineering and manufacturing trade training centre.

During the election, one of the reasons I knew that we had to retain government was that we were going to continue this very important funding program for trade training centres. Schools would have been missing out on these facilities and young people in my electorate would have been missing out on terrific opportunities if the coalition had been successful in the election because they were going to cut trade training centres. How they could do that when, if they had spent any time in my electorate, they would have seen the massive opportunities that are there for skilled workers and the huge need that exists for skilled workers. They are completely out of touch. This is a priority not just for our country but also for the young people who are looking for these opportunities. (Time expired)