Fee Free TAFE to be made permanent should Labor secure victory in next election

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged that the Australian Labor Party will make Fee Free TAFE permanent should his party secure victory in the next Federal election. 

Should the Government be successful in retaining power, the Prime Minister vowed to introduce legislation to establish Fee-Free TAFE as “an enduring feature of the national vocational education and training system,” funding 100,000 Fee-Free TAFE places a year from 2027, building on an existing partnership with states and territories to deliver 180,000 Fee-Free TAFE places in 2023; 300,000 places over three years from 2024; and agreements being finalised for a further 20,000 construction and housing Fee-Free places.

Fee-Free TAFE started in January 2023 to 30 June 2024 and has thus far “exceeded all expectations” – with more than 508,000 enrolments in courses in priority areas, including:

• 131,000 in care – including disability and aged care
• 48,900 in digital and tech
• 35,000 in construction
• 35,500 in early childhood education and care

170,000 young Australians, 124,000 job seekers and 30,000 First Nations Australians have enrolled in the program, with six in 10 of all places having been taken up by women, and one in three places taken up in regional and remote Australia.

 
“We promised Fee-Free TAFE for Australians – and now it is here to stay,” the Prime Minister said.

“We want to make sure Australians can go on to have well-paid, secure jobs – and Fee-Free TAFE creates those opportunities for individuals as well as investing in the future of our country.”

For mainstream coverage of the commitment to Fee Free TAFE please see here.