Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / CDU Director of Government Relations Bree Willsmore has welcomed more fee-free TAFE places, which were announced in the Federal budget

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CDU Director of Government Relations Bree Willsmore has welcomed more fee-free TAFE places, which were announced in the Federal budget · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So we know that international students were one of the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: losers in the federal budget with rules being tightened as
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: part of an immigration system overhauls. So from July, student
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: visa holders are going to again be restricted to working
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: a maximum of forty eight hours a fortnight after that
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  Speaker 1: cap was lifted during COVID times. Now changes are also
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  Speaker 1: on the cards around who's going to be allowed to
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  Speaker 1: study honor student visa in a bid to prevent people
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: using it as a pathway for permanent residency instead of
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  Speaker 1: getting an education. Now joining me on the line is
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  Speaker 1: Charles Darwen University's director of Government Relations, Brie Willsmore. Good
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  Speaker 1: morning to you, Bree.
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  Speaker 2: Hi Katie. Good to be with you, Bree.
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  Speaker 1: What impact will these changes have for the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, as you said, one of the one
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  Speaker 2: of the changes through the budget was around that hours
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  Speaker 2: that international students can work. And we know one of
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  Speaker 2: the things that really attracts our international students to Darwin
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  Speaker 2: is the ability to work. I think though lots of
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  Speaker 2: people knew that this was a temporary measure during COVID,
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  Speaker 2: the extra hours that they could work, so we're definitely
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  Speaker 2: alive to it. But we're really pleased that the hours
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  Speaker 2: have actually been boosted up to about twenty four a
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  Speaker 2: week forty eight or fortnight from what they were before COVID.
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  Speaker 1: All right, so is that a good change that part?
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  Speaker 2: Well, certainly there's slightly more hours students can work now
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  Speaker 2: than what they traditionally used to be allowed to work,
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  Speaker 2: and I think that's really important. But also students are
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  Speaker 2: balancing a lot right, Like they're trying to do their study,
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  Speaker 2: they're trying to do that really well as well as
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  Speaker 2: work on the side. So we do appreciate this is
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  Speaker 2: always going to be a bit of a juggling actress student.
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  Speaker 1: We know that those international students as well, they certainly
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  Speaker 1: form a huge part of the workforce in a lot
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  Speaker 1: of ways for the community. Well, these changes have much
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  Speaker 1: of an impact in that sense.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think about Darwin is that international students are
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  Speaker 2: really confident that they can get work, but they also
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  Speaker 2: need to be able to have enough time and space
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  Speaker 2: to fulfill their study obligations. That is the primary purpose
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  Speaker 2: for why they're here. So we just kind of acknowledge
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  Speaker 2: that that balance or getting that balance right, has been
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  Speaker 2: really hard. The hours were a lot higher during COVID
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  Speaker 2: and now settling at a slightly higher level is probably
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  Speaker 2: overall good for students.
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  Speaker 1: So three point seven billion dollars as well was committed
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  Speaker 1: over five years under the National Skills Agreement in the budget,
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  Speaker 1: providing incentives and also free tap places. Can you explain
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  Speaker 1: the detail around that for us?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, sure, So we're really stoked to hear this come
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  Speaker 2: through in the budget, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: This is.
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  Speaker 2: Firstly having kind of a five year approach to funding
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  Speaker 2: for the Skills Agreement and look that's between governments. That
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  Speaker 2: the good news for us is that there is a
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  Speaker 2: new commitment to fee free take and so we've had
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  Speaker 2: fee free take places this year at cdu TA, about
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  Speaker 2: eight hundred of them and they were fully over subscribed,
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  Speaker 2: like within a number of weeks. So that's really good
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  Speaker 2: for those students. Obviously to have that training course a
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  Speaker 2: bit cheaper is really good for the students, but more broadly,
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  Speaker 2: like we know students that study and train here are
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  Speaker 2: more likely to work here. So it was kind of
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  Speaker 2: good news for cdu T, but also really good news
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  Speaker 2: the NT and.
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  Speaker 1: Bray what kind of courses will be free?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so that detail will be worked out. We know
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  Speaker 2: the fee free taste. Places that have come through this
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  Speaker 2: year are in areas where there's lots of job opportunities.
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  Speaker 2: So we've got students studying early childhood for instance, or
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  Speaker 2: construction pathways, a whole range of things, both for young
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  Speaker 2: people and not so young people who are looking to
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  Speaker 2: skill and up skills and so that processes We understand
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  Speaker 2: it and we'll keep working really productively with the NT
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  Speaker 2: government on this. But the NT government will look at
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  Speaker 2: what types of skills need, so what types of jobs
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  Speaker 2: there are out there in the future and try and
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  Speaker 2: encourage particularly young people into those jobs which we support.
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  Speaker 2: We sand to support that.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Bree, before I let you go, I know that
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  Speaker 1: there's quite a bit happening when it comes to charles
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  Speaker 1: Dale University City Campus as well. There was some drone
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  Speaker 1: footage as I understand it, of the site released earlier
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  Speaker 1: this week. How is it all looking? Have you seen?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, I mean just you can't ignore it now.
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  Speaker 2: As on Cavanagh Street, just kind of across from Walworth there,
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  Speaker 2: the building just looked fantastic, had a chance to climb
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  Speaker 2: up to what was almost the top. Next month we'll
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  Speaker 2: have a major announcement where the building itself is topped off.
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  Speaker 2: Like they say that you can really get that look
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  Speaker 2: and feel. We just can't wait. It's on track for
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  Speaker 2: middle of next year. We can't wait to see it
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  Speaker 2: flooded with students and also for the community to enjoy.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Brie Willismore, the Charles Darwin University Director of Government Relations,
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate you having a chat with us this morning.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for coming on the show.
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  Speaker 2: Ah, thanks Katie, thank you.