EDWINA ANDREW [LABOR CANDIDATE FOR HERBERT]: My name is Edwina Andrew. I'm the Herbert candidate for Labor for this Federal Election, and today with me is Senator Nita Green, Senator Anthony Chisholm, and our candidate for the Senate, Corinne Mulholland. We're here today in front of the TAFE because we want to talk about some concerns, but actually also the opportunities that people are seeing with our TAFE, and now with Fee-Free TAFE.
 
Our Fee-Free TAFE enables us to have our skills developed right here in Townsville. We know we have a shortage for construction workers, shortage of nurses, shortage of childcare workers. Having our skills developed right here in Townsville with locals, means locals stay here and work in the industry. Fee-Free TAFE can save people up to $15,000 to be able to do a nursing degree. That's what it would cost. If we have this for free, people are able to do that without any cost to them, and that enables easier access to the course, and means that people are more likely to succeed and more likely to stay here and assist in the industry.
 
We know that Peter Dutton has stated and voted against Fee-Free TAFE, and that is something that would not go ahead if the LNP were to take on government. We are committed to continuing Fee-Free TAFE and a re-elected Albanese Government would ensure that Fee-Free TAFE continues.
 
CORINNE MULHOLLAND [LABOR CANDIDATE FOR SENATE]: Hi, I’m Corinne Mulholland, Labor's candidate for the Senate. We're standing here outside the TAFE at Townsville. TAFE is the backbone of the skills economy here in North Queensland. It's where tradies, nurses, and aged care workers get their first start in their jobs. Cutting funding for TAFE means cutting their livelihoods and cutting their future employment. Only Labor will stand up for working people here in North Queensland.
 
Fee-Free TAFE is a stepping stone into a new career and a livelihood for people here in North Queensland. By taking an axe to it like Peter Dutton proposes, he is taking an axe to their futures, their livelihoods, and only Labor is going to stand up for working class people here in North Queensland.
 
NITA GREEN [SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND]: It’s really good to be back in Townsville. This is my third visit during the election campaign. But of course, I'm a regular visitor here to Townsville, and I'm really proud to be standing, of course, with my colleague, Anthony Chisholm, but with two fantastic female candidates in Edwina Andrew and Corinne Mulholland, who will represent North Queensland in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, so that we can continue to deliver programs like Fee-Free TAFE right here in Townsville. Now we know that Fee-Free TAFE is literally changing lives. I have personally met nursing students who have decided to go back to TAFE and study and be a nurse, a dream that they have always had and only given the chance because the Diploma of Nursing is now free through Fee-Free TAFE. Of course, we have seen 100,000 Queenslanders take up this opportunity through our government, and we've seen 23,000 enrolments in the care economy - jobs that are desperately needed to be filled right here in North Queensland.
 
But unfortunately, Peter Dutton has said that he will cut Fee-Free TAFE, and that means that those nurses won't be able to train for free anymore. That means that we won't have more construction workers getting trained, people in early childhood education or the manufacturing sector. It is a disgrace that Peter Dutton has voted against Fee-Free TAFE, and the only way to protect Fee-Free TAFE is to vote for Labor in the House and the Senate. Of course, this is not the only thing that Peter Dutton has said that he will cut and the reason that he needs to cut Fee-Free TAFE and other programs here in Townsville is to pay for his risky, expensive nuclear power plan. We know that he needs to cut $600 billion worth of things from Townsville, from North Queensland, from Queensland to pay for the nuclear power plan. He has said that everything is up for grabs, because he has refused to rule out what he will cut until after the election. That is why we're so concerned, and we're working really hard here in North Queensland with the Senate team to talk to people in parts of Queensland where we know that we've had LNP members for a very long time, but this is the election where it is time for regional Queensland to stand up against Peter Dutton’s cuts.
 
It's really good to be back in Townsville, as I said, and I'm really proud to have been able to deliver a number of things through this period of government in Townsville and in North Queensland, but I want to do that with a Labor MP in Edwina Andrew. We need to have a Labor MP here to deliver the infrastructure and the programs that North Queenslanders need like Fee-Free TAFE. We can't do that under a Peter Dutton government, because he will cut the things that North Queenslanders love dearly.
 
ANTHONY CHISHOLM [ASSISTANT MINISTER]: It's good to be back on the road with you and starting this road trip from Townsville. It's great to be with Edwina as well, who's doing a fantastic job as a candidate for Herbert. We did a road trip earlier in this campaign, from Brisbane to Rockhampton as part of the Senate team. This time, we're starting in Townsville and heading down to Mackay. It's great to be with Corinne, and Nita as our North Queensland based Senator. What we know is that there is much at stake in this election campaign, and we've been hearing this right across the state as we've been getting out and about. But we know there is a clear contrast between what an Albanese Government represents versus the risk of what a Dutton Government would do to North Queensland, and to the rest of Australia as well. So, we'll be highlighting that contrast over today, and there's no better place to start with that in Townsville. We know that Townsville relies heavily on TAFE, so it's great to be here today to highlight what is at risk from a Dutton government if he comes in and cuts Fee-Free TAFE that is making such a difference to the care economy, but also to construction and skills in North Queensland as well.
 
But there's so much more at stake that North Queenslanders will be vulnerable on. We know he wants to cut 41,000 public servants across the country. Townsville is a public service town. That will mean hundreds of job losses in Townsville that will have a negative impact on the economy, that will flow on and reverberate around the community, and that will ensure that small businesses aren't as profitable. It will mean that people will leave town as a result. We don't want that future for Townsville. So, when it comes to what is at stake at this election, Townsville is at the epicentre of the bad things that a Dutton government would do, whether it be Fee-Free TAFE, whether it be public service cuts. We also know that he will wind back important industrial relations reforms that are giving people higher wages and obviously our tax cuts. He opposed every one of our cost-of-living measures that we brought in in our first term of government. So, our message to the people of North Queensland is that there is much at stake at this election. You need to stick with an Albanese Government, but you need to ensure that you vote Labor in the House of Reps for fantastic candidates like Edwina but also vote Labor in the Senate to ensure that we can continue to deliver on those important reforms and look after working people in this part of the world. Any questions?
 
JOURNALIST: So, pre-polling kicked off this week, I’m sure you’ve been out at the polls. What kind of things have you been hearing from people, and what's that experience been like?
 
ANDREW: Yeah, it's actually been fascinating. So many people are coming out early to vote, which is kind of expected, but not expected – and people are really passionate. They're actually quite sure about what the concerns are that they have. Top of the lot as always, is cost of living. That's the first thing people are talking about. They're talking about the impacts that they have seen already with the Albanese Labor Government's changes, with the tax cuts that we've already pushed through, the electricity bill relief. All of those things are really motivating people to know that this is something that they can rely on with an Albanese Government, and they will continue to vote for that. Other issues coming up are that people are quite concerned around a Trump style approach coming into Australia. So, there's some really, really quite heavy conversations we've had at the polling booths where people are really worried that what is happening over there, and that sometimes in our election debate, and the discourse so far, has actually had a few undertones and overtones around that Trump style of politics, and people are scared and really worried about that.
 
JOURNALIST: Suppose the rise as well of patriots’ parties like that?
 
ANDREW: Absolutely. Yeah.
 
JOURNALIST: Do you think that as well, that people are kind of opening their eyes to that kind of style of politics coming into Australia?
 
ANDREW: Yeah, definitely. And that's some of what I said about the overtones. I mean there's no doubt about that, that's purely modelled on American Trump style politics. But we're also seeing it with Peter Dutton. Peter Dutton has made reference to some of those things already around bringing everybody back from working from home. They have expressed things around decreasing migration, all those things that are reflective of the Trump style politics. And we have seen very clear references from the LNP around making statements around making Australia great again, referencing that style. So, it's a big concern, and people really are worried about it.
 
JOURNALIST: So, going into next week as well, the last week of voting before the election, what's the kind of focus now, leading into that last week of people voting?
 
ANDREW: It’s just continuing. So, we're still on the phones, we're still door knocking. We're making sure that people have an opportunity to express their worries, but also to hear about what it is that the Albanese Labor government can bring. That has been the absolute base of our campaign. It’s been very on the ground, speaking individually to people, making sure that their voice is heard as part of that campaign. And I've said previously, and I'll say it again, we're not about the big flash, we're not the big full-page ads or the big fancy campaign slogans. We're a grassroots-on-the-ground talking to people campaign, and that has actually been really successful. People are feeling heard. They're feeling that they actually have a say in this election, and that their voice is being clearly heard when it comes to policy and decision making, and they know that the Albanese Labor Government is listening. All good? Great, thanks.