Category: MIL-OSI

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

Source:

Dora resting after her rescue

CFA firefighters rescued a curious cow after she wandered out of her paddock into a nearby dry dam, where she became stuck in the mud.

CFA brigades from Bayles, Macclesfield, and Lang Lang responded to the incident yesterday (16 June) around 5.40pm on a property in Bayles.

Bayles Fire Brigade was first on the scene and called in support from Macclesfield, which has the skills and equipment to conduct a large animal rescue.

In safe hands, crews set up Dora for a safe removal with a local vet, who oversaw the rescue and helped sedate the cow to keep her comfortable and relaxed.

Lindsay Knowles, 3rd Lieutenant from Bayles brigade, commented on the unique nature of the rescue.

“It is always terrible to see an animal in distress, but it certainly wasn’t a run-of-the-mill incident for Bayles,” Lindsay said.

“Volunteers from Bayles did a fantastic job setting up the scene and supporting Macclesfield in pulling the cow out.”

Macclesfield Captain Sharon Merritt from the large animal rescue unit said Dora was quite a large cow, which made the rescue challenging in low light.

“We were grateful to have Lang Lang Fire Brigade on the scene for lighting and the support of local crews,” said Sharon.

“With the drought conditions, property owners need to be wary of dry dams following the rain. It creates muddy pools where animals can easily mistake them for solid ground.”

The rescue took around an hour, with the owners waiting for their beloved Dora to reach solid ground, offering her bread and a safe place to rest and recover. Hopefully Dora’s “exploring” days are over for now.

Submitted by	Courtney Walker

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

The newly adopted Council Plan Mir wimbul 2025–2029 outlines how Council will guide Greater Bendigo’s growth and wellbeing over the next four years, with strong community voices at the heart of its development.

The Council Plan is a comprehensive blueprint for improving and developing Greater Bendigo over the next four years and includes the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan. It guides all the detailed plans and activities in Greater Bendigo.

For the first time, the Budget and the new Council Plan have been developed at the same time ensuring alignment between the goals of the Council and the sustainable financial planning and actions for the Budget 2025/2026 and the next three Budgets.

The Council Plan also informs the Financial Plan 2025-2035, the Revenue & Rating Plan 2025-2029, and the Annual Budget. These documents were all adopted at last night’s Council meeting.

Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said she was proud to present the new Council Plan.

“A fantastic collective effort from the community has gone into developing the Council Plan Mir wimbul 2025-2029. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the many hundreds of people from our diverse community who have given their time to be part of developing this plan. We thank all the partner organisations that have helped create this plan. We gratefully acknowledge the support of both DJAARA and Taungurung Land and Waters Council as representatives of the Traditional Owners of the lands that Greater Bendigo is on,” Cr Metcalf said.

“People shared their top priorities on what they value most about living in Greater Bendigo, its challenges and how best to shape its future and this has been reflected in the newly adopted Council Plan.

“To ensure that we put words into action, the specific work that the City will do to deliver this Council Plan is contained in an action plan released annually as part of the Budget. This ensures we have the resources to deliver on our commitments.

“The Council Plan focuses on efficient and sustainable operations that get the basics right. By incorporating the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, we are also focused on creating a welcoming community and healthy environment that supports our people to thrive. The health plan shows how we will work with our health partners to improve wellbeing in Greater Bendigo.

“The four-year Council Plan has been developed following extensive consultation with the Greater Bendigo community, City partners, local stakeholder groups, and Greater Bendigo Councillors that began in late 2024. Public consultation included two community-wide surveys, a series of focus groups, meetings with community representative groups, information from the City of Greater Bendigo’s online engagement platform Let’s Talk, and customer requests.

“In March 2025, the City hosted a community deliberative panel. Two hundred people registered their interest to take part and 42 people were randomly selected to represent the diversity of the municipality. They included people from over 20 local areas and many different ages, genders and backgrounds. The panel members participated in sessions over three days. Collectively they produced community guidance for Councillors to use when making decisions on behalf of the whole community. They also refreshed the current Community Vision for Greater Bendigo.”

The Council Plan is structured around four themes, linked to 12 goals and 34 priorities.

The themes are:

• Responsible – Running an effective, fair, and efficient organisation
• Healthy – Protecting and improving our physical, mental, and environmental health
• Thriving – Managing our growth, including businesses, housing, heritage, and creativity
• Welcoming – Celebrating and including everyone in our community

“I am proud this plan reflects a wide range of community voices and outlines how we’ll meet future challenges. It’s about getting the basics right while building a healthy, inclusive, and thriving Greater Bendigo,” Cr Metcalf said.

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

The City of Greater Bendigo is delighted to present the 2025/2026 Budget, reflecting projects and initiatives that respond to our community’s priorities. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the community engagement process to inform this Budget and the new Council Plan Mir wimbul 2025-2029. 

For the first time, the City has prepared the Budget and a new Council Plan at the same time, which ensures alignment between the goals of the Council Plan and the projects and initiatives funded in the Budget. 

In November 2024, 180 people contributed to a community survey via the City’s Let’s Talk Greater Bendigo community engagement platform, which identified roads (including active and public transport infrastructure), waste, parks and trails as the top priorities. 

As such, these priorities are reflected in the kinds of projects and initiatives funded in this Budget and also the goals and actions in the new Council Plan. Community engagement can also take other forms throughout the year, including various engagement sessions Councillors have held in the community, ongoing discussions community groups have with City staff, and direct advocacy from community groups via presentations to Council. 

A range of large-scale infrastructure projects lead the City’s investment on behalf of the community. 

Construction will start on the $45M stage one Bendigo Art Gallery redevelopment – a transformational project designed to cement the Gallery’s reputation as a cultural and economic success for Greater Bendigo and the state of Victoria. This will be the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by the City and Council’s investment of $9M has helped secure more than $34M in external funding to date, including $21M from the State Government, $4M from the Gallery Board and more than $9M in philanthropic funding. 

The City will project manage the State Government’s investment in redeveloped Bendigo Bowls and Croquet Clubs facilities, which will provide the bowls club with two synthetic greens and two grass greens, two widened croquet greens and an upgraded clubhouse. 

A mix of funding from the Federal Government ($500,000) and the City ($1.85M) will deliver the Golden Square Recreation Reserve Pavilion upgrade and renewal, including improved player amenities for football, netball and cricket user groups, and spectators. And all three levels of government have invested $3.2M ($1.2M from the City) in stage 1 pavilion works at North Bendigo Recreation Reserve.

It will be easier to travel through the city centre by bike and on foot with the innovative 4.4km Low Line Walking and Cycling Trail to take shape within the Bendigo Creek, between Golden Square and White Hills, and the shared cycle path along Mundy Street, from McCrae Street out to Back Creek. 

Recent Federal election commitments relating to the Kangaroo Flat Skate Park, stage 2 of the North Bendigo Recreation Reserve redevelopment (pavilion construction) and new female-friendly facilities at Truscott Reserve will be delivered over coming financial years. 

The $4.3M Heathcote Civic Precinct will also get underway, delivering a much-needed contemporary community hub and customer service centre for City services.

Accessibility is important in this Budget, with The Capital theatre to receive an upgrade to make the stage accessible to all performers, including purchase of a Mobilift, and installation of a heating and cooling system for the Bendigo Town Hall to make it a more inviting and usable community space.

Following the floods of 2024, $4.3M will fund drainage, stormwater and flood mitigation improvement works.

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

Council last night adopted the Budget 2025/2026 marking a bold step forward with substantial investment in everyday infrastructure and transformative projects, including the redevelopment of Bendigo Art Gallery.

For the first time, the Budget and the newly adopted Council Plan Mir wimbul 2025-2029 have been developed and planned together to ensure a strong alignment between strategic goals and the resources required to achieve them.

These milestone documents have been shaped through extensive community engagement that began back in late 2024.

The Budget 2025/2026 has an annual action plan to ensure efficient and sustainable delivery of services.

Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said investing in long term projects supported Greater Bendigo’s growth.

“We have some very exciting projects ahead that are vital for the region’s future economic success,” Cr Metcalf said.

“The $45M redevelopment of the Bendigo Art Gallery will reshape the region’s future.

As the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by Council, it will elevate the Gallery’s status as a cultural and economic asset for both our region and the state of Victoria. Council’s $9M investment has helped secure more than $34M in external funding, including $21M from the State Government, $4M from the Gallery Board and more than $9M in philanthropic donations – an amazing achievement.

“Funding partners are critical to major project delivery across Bendigo, including the State Government fully funding the redevelopment of the Bendigo Bowls and Croquet Clubs, and investing in the Bendigo Low Line Walking and Cycling Trail between Golden Square and White Hills.

“All three levels of government have invested in the North Bendigo Recreation Reserve stage 1 pavilion works, and the Federal Government and the City are also upgrading the Golden Square Recreation Reserve Pavilion and jointly investing in the new Heathcote Civic Precinct. 

“The Budget will invest in important infrastructure used daily in the community. There are around 230 road renewals, 12 new footpaths, 14 footpath renewals, new roundabouts, tram track upgrades, bridge renewals, Waratah Road and Midland Highway intersection signalisation, playspace renewals and much more.

“Developing the Council Plan and Budget at the same time has ensured that our strategic goals are directly supported by the projects and initiatives we’re funding.

“Top priorities identified through community engagement are roads, (including public and active transport), waste management, and parks and trails. The recurring themes were for Greater Bendigo to be responsible, healthy, thriving and welcoming.

“The Budget 2025/2026 has been developed to be fiscally responsible while managing community expectations. This is a balanced approach that reflects our commitment to deliver around 60 essential community services, progress multi-year capital works, and maintain essential infrastructure used daily in the community.

“There are limited funds available and this Budget seeks to address these concerns by continuing to fund existing services wisely and prioritise works and services in a responsible manner.”

The Budget has been developed in line with the State Government’s rate cap of 3 per cent. As with previous years, Council has not applied for a variation to the rate cap as it seeks to absorb increasing costs for supplies, goods and services.

There will be no increase to waste charges for ratepayers in the new financial year.

The Budget 2025/2026 is valued at $259M, with an operating budget of $189M funding services like waste collection, street cleaning, environmental health, statutory planning, road maintenance, flood restoration works, early learning, immunisation, tourism and visitor services, and much more, and a capital works budget of $70M for new infrastructure projects across the community.

Source: NSW Government puts trust in NAB to transform banking and payments

12 06 2025 – Media release

Emily: I Am Kam. Photo Toly Sawenko. 
A powerful new documentary, Emily: I Am Kam, revealing the work of Australia’s most significant artist, Emily Kam Kngwarray, premieres on National Indigenous Television (NITV) and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 9 July at 8:30pm, with an encore on SBS on Saturday 12 July at 8:30pm.
Directed by Danielle MacLean, the film delves into Emily Kam Kngwarray’s transformative impact on the international contemporary art world and her enduring legacy. Emily: I Am Kam is a detailed portrait that offers an intimate and profound exploration of Kngwarray, a trailblazing Anmatyerr artist from the Northern Territory. Kngwarray is celebrated as one of Australia’s most significant and prolific artists. Her work is deeply rooted in her connection to Country, culture, and community, Emily: I Am Kam follows the preparations of the National Gallery of Australia’s major 2023 Kngwarray retrospective. It provides a rare opportunity to witness her journey and the profound influence of her art and explores the power of Emily’s work to protect her Country, Alhalker.
The film has received principal production funding from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department, and features rare archival recordings, audio, and visuals from the mid-1970s onwards, many of which have never been seen or heard before. These materials allow Kngwarray to speak in her own words, offering viewers an authentic and personal insight into her life and artistic process.
Interviews with Emily’s descendants as they revive the awely (women’s ceremony) and collaborate on a major retrospective exhibition, reaffirms her connection to Country and community and helps audiences gain an understanding of who she was and why she painted. It also reveals her legacy is much more than the 3,000 or so paintings she left behind.
Emily: I Am Kam is produced by Anna Grieve and Danielle MacLean of Tamarind Tree Pictures, and written and directed by Danielle MacLean.
Screen Australia First Nations Department Development and Investment Manager Jorjia Gillis said, “Emily: I Am Kam is a powerful documentary that highlights the culturally significant work, life and legacy of Emily Kam Kngwarray. The creative team led by Danielle MacLean and Anna Grieve have expertly captured the impact of Emily’s career as her paintings truly are living histories with intrinsic connection to Country, community and culture.”

Producers Danielle MacLean and Anna Grieve of Tamarind Tree Pictures said, “Emily: I Am Kam is much more than an art documentary, it is a cultural story told while working alongside the Alhalker and Anangker women, Kngwarray’s descendants and cultural successors. These women carry Emily’s legacy in their bodies, their songs, their ceremonies and in their relationship to Country. They welcomed us onto their land, shared their knowledge, and allowed us to witness what cannot be found in archives or galleries – the living continuation of Kngwarray’s culture Emily: I Am Kam is not a Western story of artistic genius or fame. It is a story of deep cultural continuity, told from within the community.”
Dena Curtis, Head of Indigenous Commissioning and Production at NITV said, “Emily Kam Kngwarray is one of Australia’s most significant artists. Having reshaped the international art world, her work and legacy continues to reverberate globally. Emily: I Am Kam explores the intersection of art, culture and Country, NITV is the home of black excellence, and we are incredibly proud to bring Kngwarray’s story to audiences and highlight the living continuation of her culture and legacy.”
Dr Nick Mitzevich, Director, National Gallery of Australia said, “Emily Kam Kngwarray was one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. Her original artistic vision and powerful expression of Country, Community, culture and identity has been celebrated globally. As custodians of the largest collection of her art, it is important that the National Gallery shares Kngwarray’s life and art with Australians and the world. It is with great excitement to share her legacy through this captivating documentary.”
Jennie Hughes, Director at Screen Territory said, “Emily Kam Kngwarray’s story is one of extraordinary cultural and creative significance — not just for the Northern Territory, but for the world. Emily: I Am Kam offers a powerful exploration of her legacy, and Screen Territory is proud to support this remarkable documentary from Tamarind Tree Pictures, skillfully directed by the talented Danielle MacLean. This film not only honours one of Australia’s most celebrated artists, but also deepens our understanding of Indigenous art, culture, and the connection to Country.”
Emily: I Am Kam is a Tamarind Tree Pictures production for NITV. Principal Production funding from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department in association with National Gallery of Australia. Financed with support from NITV and Screen Territory.
Watch Emily: I Am Kam on NITV and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 9 July at 8:30pm and on SBS on Saturday 12 July at 8:30pm, as part of the network’s NAIDOC Week celebrations. Subtitles will be available on SBS On Demand in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, with audio description for blind or low vision audiences.
NITV Media Enquiries:
Hannah Watkins, Senior Communications Specialist
0411 362 727 | [email protected]
Media enquiries
Maddie Walsh | Publicist
+ 61 2 8113 5915  | [email protected]
Jessica Parry | Senior Publicist (Mon, Tue, Thu)
+ 61 428 767 836  | [email protected]
All other general/non-media enquiries
Sydney + 61 2 8113 5800  |  Melbourne + 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]

Source: Australian National Party

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Consumer Affairs Victoria is pursuing legal action to protect consumers from car sellers who break the law.

It’s currently targeting licensed and unlicensed sellers whose conduct has undermined consumers’ rights when buying a used car.

Two companies operating car businesses in Dandenong and Cranbourne were recently suspended from trading. They had failed to deliver cars to customers, to pay or transfer stamp duty, and to return deposits on cancelled contracts.

More than 200 customers have so far claimed over $330,000 from the Motor Car Traders Guarantee Fund, after losing money dealing with CMG Automotive and CHM Motors. The fund compensates Victorians who suffer financial loss as the result of dealing with a licensed car business that breaks the law.

Consumer Affairs is now asking VCAT to permanently cancel CMG Automotive’s licence.

In a separate case, unlicensed car trader Zequn Wang, was recently convicted and fined $25,000. Wang bought or sold 84 cars between January 2022 and September 2023. This is far greater than the four cars per year limit you can trade without a licence.

The Office of Public Prosecutions has now launched an appeal on Consumer Affairs’ behalf to the County Court, believing the sentence handed down was inadequate.

In Victoria, unlicensed traders face maximum penalties of up to $19,000, or 15% of the sale price, for each car they buy, sell or exchange.

Buying a used car? Things you need to know

Consumer Affairs also provides information and advice so Victorians can make informed choices when buying a car.

For many people, it’s one of the biggest purchases they’ll make. Understanding your rights can help you to be happy on the road.

A new campaign will promote the laws that protect you when you’re buying a second-hand car. Demand for used cars rose 12% nationally last year.

Buying from a licensed trader provides a cooling-off period, clear title and warranty. Combined with having access to compensation from the Motor Car Traders Guarantee Fund if things go wrong, these are strong protections not available if you buy from an unlicensed seller.

Learn more about buying a used car safely and follow Consumer Affairs Victoria on Instagram.

Source:

Chief Officer Jason Heffernan presenting a service certificate to Toomuc brigade

Toomuc Fire Brigade recently gathered to celebrate their 80 years of service to the community and acknowledge the dedication of some of their long serving members.

More than 60 people came together at the Cardinia Club in Pakenham on Saturday 14 June, with CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan joining in the festivities.

Toomuc Fire Brigade Captain Andrew Ferrari has been a member for 22 years and said after a long, busy summer, it was nice to come together to mark the special occasion.

“We are a peaceful bunch, we work hard, get the job done and get home safely,” Andrew said.

“We had eight firefighters attend the Gurdies fire in December, before heading to the Grampians. Our 2nd Lieutenant Dan Farrall, lead a crew who were locating hot spots that had been called in by aircraft patrolling the area.”

Forming after the Pakenham fires in 1944, the original station was then built and opened in 1954 by the founding members. The bricks used were made by the clay from the nearby creek.

Surrounding larger towns like Pakenham, Officer, Upper Beaconsfield and Pakenham Upper, the old mining village of Toomuc remains well protected, with 23 brigade members stationed locally and Fire Rescue Victoria just around the corner.

“We still have a wall out the front of our station made from the original bricks,” Andrew said.

“We were also the first brigade to have a positive pressure fan for ventilation in the area.”

15-year Toomuc member and 1^st Lieutenant Blake Sokaluk said the brigade is well equipped with their tanker and ultralight, which assists them with their typical 190 call outs a year.

“Our tanker goes away on strike teams quite a bit, and when it does go away, we always manage to get some crew on it.” Blake said.

‘During the 2019-20 bushfires it was away for five weeks and every shift there was either two, three or four of us on there.

“That’s our strong point, if we do get called upon, we can make it happen. We have a great brigade who are willing and ready to help.

“We’ve had members go interstate into Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania for fire and flood relief, and a couple are also on the Planned Burn Taskforce.

“Our former Captain John Ferrari also fought the Ash Wednesday bushfires and remains active in the brigade.”

Although the brigade doesn’t have a lot of daytime turnout availability due to most people working in the city or surrounds, the brigade has recently had three people jump on board.

“We are a small brigade, but we love spending time with the community. We do regular events and fundraisers throughout the year where we bring our truck down and do a few activities with the kids and big kids,” Blake said.

The service history within the brigade is diverse, ranging from one week to 43 years. On the night, two members received a National Medal, one with a first clasp, while three were awarded their 20 years of service certificate, and another three for 5, 10 and 15 years.

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

17 June 2025

The Importance of Early Learning

Research demonstrates that high-quality early childhood education lays the foundation for lifelong learning, social development, and emotional wellbeing. Children who undertake two years of preschool typically do better at school, are more engaged in education and are more likely to remain engaged in education, meaning they are also more likely to seek out tertiary education such as TAFE. TAFE is central to stemming skills shortages for qualified early learning educators, but early learning teachers and educators are also essential for the TAFE workforce and TAFE students and their children, to not only allow parents and guardians to participate fully in work, but for their child’s development. A child’s brain grows to near-adult size in the first five years of life. This stunning period of development is crucial in determining whether children thrive and what their life chances and educational experiences are like down the track. Overwhelming international evidence shows that high-quality early childhood education is essential during these first years – even more so for vulnerable children who experience any kind of disadvantage. Yet the shortsighted perception persists (even in 2025!) that looking after babies, toddlers and preschoolers is low-skilled women’s work – with the main purpose of boosting parents’ economic participation.

Valuing Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)

“I can’t count the number of times people say to me, ‘Kinder’s just Play-Doh and finger-painting isn’t it?’,” says Cara Nightingale, formerly a primary and kindergarten teacher in Victoria and now AEU Victorian Branch vice president, early childhood. AEU early childhood members may be degree-qualified preschool teachers, diploma-level educators who work in funded kinder programs, or Certificate III educators who work in funded kinder programs. Despite lingering dinosaur attitudes, Nightingale says: “Over the last few years we’ve seen significant progress in politicians and the broader community acknowledging the skill, expertise and importance of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC).”
She says the quality of TAFE qualifications have helped in external recognition of the skill sets required in ECEC. “To deliver high-quality ECEC you need a workforce that is highly qualified and provided with wraparound supports and resources for retention, along with professional pay and working conditions that are reflective of the important work of Early Childhood teachers and educators,” Nightingale says.

Victorian Union Wins

Recent union wins in Victoria, a state that leads the country in ECEC sector bargaining, are driving change, Nightingale says. “When AEU early childhood members achieved pay parity with school teachers it was a significant win,” she says. “They are the only kinder teachers across the country that have achieved pay parity with school teachers.”

Three Days Guaranteed

More good news for the sector came in February with the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025, which guarantees families three days of subsidised early learning per week and eliminates the discriminatory activity test that previously restricted access based on parents’ work or study status.

Policy Progress Since 2022

Since the Albanese government came to office in 2022, there have been a number of significant industrial relations reforms, funding boosts and initiatives in the sector, including:

• The Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers Bill 2024
• A 15 per cent pay rise for early educators, to be phased in over two years
• A $1 billion fund to build or expand early learning centres in under-served areas
• The introduction of Free TAFE for priority employment areas, which has seen 35,500 enrolments in ECEC alone
• The Fair Work Commission’s decision to grant multi-employer bargaining rights.

Nightingale says multi-employer bargaining is an important shift of the power balance back towards the workforce and members, and directly led to significant ECEC member pay increases in Victoria. Nightingale also applauds the Victorian government’s moves to build state-funded early childhood services in places the market won’t.

Childcare Deserts: The Last Frontier

Finding any childcare, let alone affordable or high-quality learning options, remains a problem for many parents, especially those in regional and rural areas. A 2022 Mitchell Institute report found that around 35 per cent of the Australian population lived in what is classified as a ‘childcare desert’ – where there were more than three children per available childcare place. In places like Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Port Pirie in South Australia, around five children were competing for each place. Even worse, 1.1 million Australians live where there are simply no childcare and early learning services at all.

The Case for Public Provision

“There are just so many gaps,” says Thrive by Five’s Weatherill. “We are still far away from a universal, high-quality, and affordable early learning system the way we have it in place for maternal health services and primary schools.
With the current system, we hand out a voucher and ask people to go shopping for childcare. That’s fine if you can find a service at the right price, but if you have children with special needs or you live in the country, or you’re a single mum or in a remote Aboriginal community, there are these gaps because the market [only] provides things that are easy to provide where they can make a dollar.” This is why public provision of ECEC as an essential service, like public TAFE, is important.

TAFE: An Essential Pipeline

Early indicators suggest things are moving in the right direction – the ECEC workforce has grown by more than 30,000 since Labor took office, and job vacancies in the sector dropped by 22 per cent in 2024 according to Jobs and Skills Australia. Far greater numbers of skilled graduates will be needed in the near future according to the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), which estimates that an additional 85,000 ECEC workers are required to raise Australia’s provision to the OECD average by 2030 and a doubling of the sector by adding almost 260,000 workers to match provision in Nordic countries. Publicly funded TAFE and Free places will be required in large numbers to ramp up this ECEC workforce, providing the Cert III or Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care. “The provision of free or low-cost TAFE for early educators is crucial in the workforce development story,” says Weatherill. “Degree-based teachers are important, but the overwhelming majority of early educators will be certificate and diploma qualified, and they’ll overwhelmingly be provided by TAFE.” “It’s all connected,” says Cara Nightingale. “Having properly funded TAFE and well-paid teachers is part of it, but so too is providing the additional supports for things like numeracy and literacy that we need.” She says another key benefit of retaining teachers is that they mentor the next generation, ensuring that their skills, knowledge and love of teaching continues.

By Rochelle Siemienowicz

This article was originally published in The Australian TAFE Teacher, Autumn 2025