On Sunday 16 November I attended a surprise party for Jude Cooke of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. After 30 years of dedicated service to TAFE NSW, she has just retired. It was a large gathering of community, colleagues, family and friends, all sharing their love and gratitude for her incredible work as head teacher and TAFE champion. In the words of her peers from TAFE Mount Druitt:
Jude is an inspiring role model with a remarkable ability to encourage Aboriginal staff and students to achieve. She is a selfless, dedicated mentor for students and a truly remarkable person.
I concur. Jude's advocacy and work in our public TAFE system promoting this great public institution is legendary. Jude Cooke has three decades of contributing to access and equity and outreach programs in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. She is a graduate of the University of Technology Sydney adult education literacy and numeracy programs and taught in the career pathways and employability skills section for TAFE NSW. She navigated her way through tumultuous changes over three decades in various roles, always focused on access, equity and outreach through the lens of adult education. On those tumultuous years, I will reiterate a few things. In this Chamber, on 14 October 2015, I said:
Tonight I acknowledge TAFE NSW as the major provider of quality, comprehensive, public vocational education and training. Our TAFE system has built the economic, cultural and social capacity of communities across New South Wales. It has provided equity in education. It has offered opportunities and pathways for students and teachers from a wide variety of backgrounds. It is a public education system that provides quality education regardless of a student's capacity to pay.
On the changes implemented by the Baird Liberal Government—the funding cuts, the course cuts, the staff cuts, the fee increases and the move to privatisation of public education—I said:
This attack on teachers is yet another devious strategy to dismantle our TAFE system. The offer of either a reduced salary or redundancy does little more than destabilise and demoralise TAFE teachers. It is a kick in the teeth. It is a blatant and damaging display of disrespect to the teaching profession. Downgrading TAFE teachers' skills will have a devastating impact on education outcomes. Already many experienced teachers have left. I pay tribute to the dedicated teachers who are still swimming against the tide, who are frustrated, saddened, angry and depressed. I speak for them today.
TAFE institutes are going through constant restructures and reforms to reduce staff numbers and lower costs.
In those days, I spoke for teachers like Jude Cooke. She held her ground. Since coming to power in 2023, the Minns Labor Government has had an enormous challenge in addressing the years of devastating policy changes and cuts to TAFE and in reversing the far-reaching negative impacts on TAFE, which saw the shift from high‑quality public education to a business model. It will take some time for the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education and our Government to rebuild and restore stability, to reverse the horrors those opposite foisted upon this State and TAFE. I am relieved and pleased to have heard the Minister recently say in this Chamber that the Minns Labor Government's commitment to build a strong and stable TAFE NSW includes a record $3.4 billion investment in skills and TAFE in the 2025-26 budget and removes competitive funding.
But I digress. I go back to Jude. Of particular note over many hard years is Jude's solid commitment to overcoming systemic barriers that threaten the integrity of access and equity programs that are tailored to address barriers to further education and participation for individuals and communities experiencing intersectional disadvantage. Jude's concerns are still valid. I am still in her corner and will continue to fight the good fight for her and for our TAFE system, teachers, students and communities. Jude Cooke was recognised every day for her tireless efforts to provide educational opportunities and being a social justice warrior. Some of her awards included the Western Sydney Institute Staff Award for TAFE Outreach at Mount Druitt in 2014, the Brigid Award in 2016, and being named Non-Aboriginal Employee of the Year for the 2020 TAFE NSW Gili Awards. I thank Jude for her strength, determination and capacity to speak truth to power and for always putting the needs and opportunities of her students at the fore, and I wish her a happy retirement.
