Mark Speakman
NSW Leader of the Opposition
Justin Clancy
Shadow Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education
The Minns Labor Government has today confirmed what NSW tradies, students and families already know - this is a government that doesn't deliver, it reviews.
With trade classrooms turning away students, regional campuses offering next to nothing, and over 100 TAFE jobs on the chopping block, Labor's only response is yet another review, a media stunt dressed up as action .
Semester two enrolments for critical trades like carpentry, plumbing and electrical have been frozen across major TAFE campuses, with young people desperate to start apprenticeships being told to wait until 2026.
Meanwhile, the Certificate III in Electrotechnology, a qualification for sparkies, is now closed at Meadowbank, Miller, Northern Beaches, Ultimo and Kogarah. This comes as the nation faces a critical shortage of electricians, with Jobs and Skills Australia forecasting a need for another 85,000 sparkies by 2050.
Labor has no answers, no urgency, and no plan. They've axed over 1,500 public sector jobs in just two weeks, including in TAFE, and when caught out, they simply announce a review, hold a roundtable, or roll out an easel with a thought bubble.
Since coming to government, the Minns Labor Government has launched more than 60 reviews, many with no end in sight. We all remember the much-promised toll review that has been done and still no answers.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said this government's response to a skills crisis is a survey.
"Their answer to students being locked out of TAFE is another review. Chris Minns can't build a workforce when all he builds are excuses," Mr Speakman said.
Justin Clancy, Shadow Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, said we've got trade courses at capacity and families asking for opportunities.
"Labor's only answer is to review the system they've been running for more than two years. That's not leadership, it's an embarrassment."
NSW can't build homes without tradies. We can't meet our energy targets without electricians. And we won't fix the skills crisis with a government that thinks another review is the same as progress.
