Mandurah MP David Templeman has labelled the Liberal party as “hypocrites” who would “say anything and promise anything to cling onto government” over a pledge by training minister Liza Harvey to spend $18.4 million building new facilities at the TAFE’s Peel campus.
On Monday Ms Harvey said a re-elected Liberal government would build a specialist hospitality and tourism training centre, but only if the planned part-sale of Western Power was successful.
Mr Templeman said the Barnett Government closed Mandurah’s Workforce Development Centre in 2014, only to reopen it after he applied pressure in parliament.
“Mandurah’s youth unemployment rate has continued to be one of the highest in the nation, yet the Liberal Government stood by for nearly 8 years and did nothing,” he said in a statement.
“Their promises are all conditional on the selling of Western Power.
“They want to sell off government assets that make us money; once they’re gone, they’re gone for ever.”
Mr Templeman said WA Labor would rebuild the training system, increase training opportunities and develop strong partnerships through TAFE as the pre-eminent provider of vocational training.
Under Labor, TAFE colleges will be transformed into one-stop-shop Industry Skill Centres, he said.
“WA Labor recognises that the future growth industry for jobs in the regions like Peel is in hospitality and tourism and will establish Brand WA as a consistent approach to marketing WA as a brand,” he said.
“We will invest $425 million to promote WA so it becomes one of the world’s great tourist destinations through the promotion of unique experiences in regional WA.”
The Liberal party’s Mandurah candidate Lynne Rowlands said new TAFE facilities would mean students would be attracted to the Peel region to study.
“A tourism training facility in Peel would benefit the economy, because there has been a skills shortage in hospitality in the region and any improvement in tourism would also be good for the local economy,” she said.
Ms Harvey said the new facility was a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”.
“The partial sale of Western Power will allow us to bring older TAFEs up to 21st Century standards and stimulate the economy,” she said.