OPENING OF CAPRICORN COAST TAFE-YEPPOON

_{07 November, 2007}

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Thank you to the Queensland Minister for Education and Training Rod Welford, Mayor Bill Ludwig, Bob Muir, Stacey Pearce and members of the TAFE Community and other distinguished guests and Ladies and Gentlemen.,

Can I first of all say some thanks- can I say thanks to Bill Ludwig and his Council- there are a lot of Councillors here today. Can I also thank Bob Muir for his welcome to country.

For those of us who don’t live here, it is never a real trauma to come to Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast, it is always a labour of love so to speak, because when you get here, you always do feel genuinely welcome, and I particularly thank you Bob for making me welcome on so many occasions.

Bill always has one hand out in welcome and the other hand out for a bit more money! But I know Bill that you and your team are fighting for your community and I well accept your enthusiasm and it does not in anyway diminish the welcome that we get.

I did want to thank as well, the staff and the community of the TAFE College for making us all feel welcome, and I certainly support Rod’s comments about the High School Quartet.  The High School is a marvellous addition to this town and  I had great pleasure in being up here a month or so ago opening the sports field at the school and they were then talking about how pleased they were that the TAFE was going to be next door.

Thank you to the TAFE community for your welcome as well.

Can I just congratulate all of those who have been involved- Rod, you and your staff and your officials, Steve and his team and the Council really do deserve congratulations- this is a magnificent facility that is beautifully designed and with, what I am told, are friendly clerestory windows- does that mean the stars come through? Someone told me about that.

What I thought was more important, especially for the maintenance staff here, was that the glass is supposed to be self cleaning- so I am sure that is going to be great and there is universal access to the campus as well. So it is a cleverly designed campus, and for all those who have had a part in it - and I am sure that there are a lot of people who had their say, who had the arguments, who made the submissions and who, in some cases where disappointed - I appreciate the great work that you have done here.

The rapid population expansion in the Capricorn Coast area really does demand a world class TAFE system and I think that you have got it here. I understand that there is a concentration on Office and Business Studies, Information Technology, as well as Fine Arts, Horticulture, Fitness, Hospitality, which is so very important on the Capricornia Coast – all of that will be taught here at the Capricornia College of TAFE.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in case you hadn’t noticed, there is a Federal Election on in a couple of weeks, and I am pleased to see Scott Kilpatrick here as well.  I think that elections are a good time to focus on issues and it is good to see all sides of politics concentrating on skills and training, and particularly in this central Queensland area in the Bowen Coalfields and mining towns, skills shortage is such an issue. As I move around the coal field towns particularly in the Central Queensland area and ask people how things are they say things are pretty good, except we can’t get skilled labour.

This College is one part in addressing that – I am delighted that both sides of Federal Politics are looking at these issues very seriously and I am very pleased that we have committed to 100 new Australian Technical Colleges and dare I hasten to add that they are not in competition to TAFE, they are complimentary to TAFE and will extend the range of services that are available to local areas.

I am also delighted that the Prime Minister announced the other day that there are 100,000 training vouchers for small business for people to be trained. That will be very important to this TAFE College and indeed many TAFE Colleges, as employers and people that want to train will be able to use the facilities to up their skills.

 It is so very important that Australia powers head in the world, we are one of the most progressive nations in the world, our economy is the envy of all others in the world and we have to keep it that way with skills, and that is why these training institutions are so very, very important.

Rod again, congratulations to you and your department for the initiative and congratulations to you Bob and the local staff, all of whom have played such a huge part in getting us here.

 I am sure the TAFE College will have a long and fruitful history.

Well done and good luck for the future. 

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