MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria—Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education) (12:15): In 2016 the Andrews Labor government proudly released Marrung, our 10-year Aboriginal education plan. Marrung’s vision is simple. We want a state where every Koori person achieves their potential, succeeds in life and feels strong in their cultural identity. We want Koori learners to have the opportunities to access education at all stages of life. This means a successful transition into further education and a culturally inclusive experience during studies. Visiting TAFEs across the state I have seen the seriously life-changing work that Koori liaison officers do to support First Nations learners to enrol and thrive in their training, but I have heard directly from the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association and Victoria’s Koorie VET Advisory Group that there needs to be extra support at TAFE. The role of KLOs has expanded over time, but they simply do not have the capacity to do all that is expected of them within existing resources. That is why I am proud that the Andrews Labor government will be investing $4.2 million to enhance the Koori liaison officer role and establish a new resource to support Koori learning in our TAFEs. This new investment will see the creation of 32 new positions to support Koori learners enrolled at TAFE, the Koori support officers, and to provide the system with 32 of these positions to support Koori learners. Furthermore we will be enhancing the Koori liaison officer role to focus on increasing our system’s inclusivity as a whole. Together this team will provide more Koori learners with the support they deserve to engage with further education and training, leading to increased employment.
Category: Parliament
Tags: Ministers Statements