AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL COLLEGES (FLEXIBILITY IN ACHIEVING AUSTRALIA'S SKILLS NEEDS) BILL 2005

Second Reading Senator NASH (New South Wales) (6.31 pm)—I rise speak to the Australian Technical Colleges (Flexibility in Achieving Aus-tralia’s Skills Needs) Bill 2005 . This is a very important bill that will help get more young Australians into traditional trades, providing them with choice in years 11 and 12. The Howard-Vaile government is committed to providing opportunities for young people in this country. Unlike the opposition, it has a plan. They have nothing—tipota; nothing. The Howard-Vaile government is determined to ensure that a trade qualifica-tion is as valued as any qualification gained at university. That is why the government has committed to $343 million over the next four years to support the establishment and operation of the Australian technical colleges. The 25 colleges, located in 24 regions across Australia, will give students the abil-ity to undertake a school based new appren-ticeship in a traditional trade, which will lead to a nationally recognised vocational and technical education qualification. At the same time, students will complete the aca-demic subjects required for their year 12 qualification. Students will graduate from the colleges with a head start in their work-ing life. They will gain trade, entrepreneurial and business skills, resulting in better em-ployment opportunities and the capacity to be self-employed in the future or to go on to further education and training. In spite of what Senator Webber said in this place this morning, that is hardly going nowhere. Senator Webber mentioned that the lack of places was an obstacle to full economic development and growth. I would suggest that the obstacles to full economic development and growth would be those experienced under a Labor government, with 17 per cent interest rates and 10 per cent unemployment. It is very pleasing that the government is not imposing a particular model of operation on the colleges. This government believes in choice—choice that allows each college to operate in a manner which best suits the needs of industry and students in the regions where the colleges will be established. Many students will benefit from the introduction of the ATCs. Senator Webber also stated this morning that the ATCs will provide places for 7,000 students over a five-year period. I will correct that: the ATCs will provide places for up to 7½ thousand students per year, once fully operational. This bill will give flexibility to each of the Australian technical colleges to tailor arrangements to meet local needs—a measure which will be especially important in the initial years of each college. It was interesting to note Senator Lundy’s statement in this place on this yesterday. She said: The government has stated right from the word go that the first colleges will be up and running at the start of 2006. It seems a very quick imple-mentation for a whole new concept in secondary education, but I have to say that I have never founded and run a brand-new education institu-tion in under six months—maybe people are doing it all the time! I suggest to Senator Lundy that there are people out there who have the skills to get these colleges up and running quickly. The senator might do well to get out and talk to some of the people who are going to establish the ATCs. Last week I had the opportunity to meet a successful applicant, who will be opening one of the first Australian technical colleges, in Port Macquarie on the New South Wales mid North Coast. Father Leo Donnelly, parish priest of St Agnes Parish, Port Macquarie, has been the driving force behind St Joseph’s Vocational College, or Vocol, which is a model very similar to the government’s proposed Australian technical colleges. Father Donnelly certainly knows what he is talking about. It was 26 years ago that he established the vocational education program in Port Macquarie. He has extensive experience in this field, and I have no doubt that he has the ability to have this college up and running early next year. Vocol is a unique and innovative model which has evolved to consistently meet the demands of local industry while providing years 11 and 12 students with a New South Wales Higher School Certificate, giving them a significant head start in achieving their career goals. The team at St Joseph’s college, led by Father Donnelly, are recog-nised nationally as leaders in the field of vocational education and training. Father Donnelly believes the Australian technical college initiative of the federal government is a significant landmark in Australian sec-ondary education. He also believes that adding a new and needed dimension to the education process has removed a straitjacket from senior secondary schooling, which has generally favoured those students who aspire to university. The reality is, and has been for a long time, that many senior secondary stu-dents do not have university aspirations. Along with Father Donnelly, the Howard-Vaile government believes the establishment of the Australian technical colleges will provide a more appropriate form of education for these students. When the new Australian technical college in Port Macquarie opens on 2 February 2006—and, in spite of Senator Lundy’s mis-givings, I have no doubt that it will—some 260 students are expected to walk through its doors. In addition to providing trade training from four of the core trades of metal and engineering, automotive, building and construction, electro technology and commercial cookery, the Port Macquarie Australian Technical College will offer marine studies and related courses that will complement other courses to support the emerging, multimillion dollar industries of boatbuilding and aquaculture on the mid North Coast. It also plans to offer courses such as retail and early childhood, which will not only attract female students to these trade based colleges but also build on other courses by ensuring that students receive basic business skills and a holistic education that ensures that students will be job ready in every sense of the word by the end of their higher school certificate. I sincerely congratulate Father Donnelly and his team on their vision in providing opportunity in education for students on the mid North Coast to date. I have no doubt that they will continue to provide that oppor-tunity very well through the establishment of the ATC early next year. It is disappointing that opposition to the government’s ATC initiative has come from teachers unions and from some TAFEs. In the case of the teachers unions, one would expect that they would welcome this signifi-cant development, which will greatly benefit their students, and would be particularly welcomed, I would imagine, by the students’ parents. Similarly, the opposition from TAFEs is hard to comprehend since the work of the ATCs in no way replaces TAFEs but will encourage more students to proceed to technical and further education after year 12. Senator Allison referred to the Queensland government’s submission to the Senate inquiry, which said that it supported the principle of ATCs but wanted the Australian government to consider alternative models which would achieve the same objectives—that is, the Queensland government’s pre-ferred model whereby students would re-main in their existing schools in Gladstone and the ATC would have a coordinating and school based New Apprenticeships broker-age role. The ATCs will operate as best suits the particular region. The government has set minimum requirements: the ATC must be a school so that students gain their higher school certificate, it must offer SBNAs and it must be industry led and relevant to indus-try needs. Beyond that, it is up to local industry and communities to determine the best model for their region and their stu-dents. The potential Port Macquarie college is a very good example of that. I am advised that the ATCs will be seeking to cooperate with existing schools, both government and non-government, not compete with them. We hope that state governments will take a similar approach and that they will not raise obstacles to successful implementation of the ATCs. The Howard-Vaile government recognises the importance of enabling more students to take up a trade as a career choice, and the Australian Technical Colleges (Flexibility in Achieving Australia’s Skills Needs) Bill 2005 provides real opportunity and real choice for young Australians. (Quorum formed)

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