Following statements made by Skills and Training Minister made in Parliament today, the Greens are again calling for the government to secure the future of Tasmania’s automotive industry by investing in a new TAFE Automotive Centre of Excellence in southern Tasmania.
After cutting half of the jobs in TAFE’s automative training program in southern Tasmania, Minister Felix Ellis has told Parliament he’s considering what the future of the program will look like and where it will be.
The Minister didn’t commit to prior plans to refurbish the existing Campbell Street facility or move to a new building in Rokeby from 2026, leaving the door open for other options.
With the southern workforce halved, the Greens are concerned the government are looking at delivering cheap, smaller, and ultimately inadequate automotive training programs.
The Greens doggedly oppose cuts to TAFE, and we believe the decision to force staff out of their jobs was unacceptable. Now we know the Minister oversaw these job losses despite the fact he doesn’t even know what the plan is for this critical training program going forward.
Rather than cutting costs and jobs, the Minister should be thinking big and investing in a TAFE Automotive Centre of Excellence. This is a huge opportunity that would set up Tasmania’s automotive industry for the future.
The reality is that mechanics and workshop owners are struggling to meet the rapidly growth of electric vehicle use, and to ensure all internal combustion vehicles still on our roads are maintained at the appropriate emissions standards. They need TAFE to be supporting them by making sure this growing need can be met.
TAFE plays a crucial role supporting Tasmanian jobs and in ensuing our industries keep up with rapid technological change. We need more investment and a vision for the future, not job cuts. An Automotive Centre of Excellence would give our state a huge boost, and we hope the Minister will get on board and make this a reality.
