With the State Election looming, three South Coast candidates have their say on TAFE funding in the lead up to March 28.
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Amanda Findley - THE GREENS
The Greens will cap at 20% public funding for private providers.
The Greens will stop any new training providers receiving any public money and prohibit for-profit corporations from receiving public funding. We don’t want NSW TAFE to end up like Victoria were only 27 per cent of training is provided by TAFE.
It’s bad for our people and bad for our economy.
The NSW Government has been pouring money into private providers and for profit organisations that are benefiting from new income sources and directly challenging the bread and butter courses that have traditionally been provided by TAFE.
Privatisation by stealth.
This is a terrible situation for regional areas such as the South Coast were our youth unemployment rates are some of the state’s highest.
We need to keep and refund our TAFE system to make it useful for training people for the services in the region.
Fiona Phillips - LABOR
As a part time TAFE Teacher for over ten years in South Coast, I’ve seen first hand the benefits of TAFE for students, employers and our community.
Working as a university tutor and having worked in training, and coordinated a local schools/TAFE/industry program, I’m a strong advocate for pathways for students to TAFE, uni, work and business.
The Liberal Government’s Smart and Skilled reforms have been disastrous for TAFE Nowra and Ulladulla.
Across NSW 1100 teachers and support staff have been sacked, courses axed and/or reduced in hours and TAFE fees have skyrocketed.
Within one term a Labor Government will: abolish the Liberal’s Smart and Skilled privatisation program, reverse the Liberal Government’s TAFE fee hikes, guarantee funding to TAFE by capping the amount of public funds that can be contestable by private operators at 30 per cent; and reinstate TAFE support services for people with a disability cut by the Smart and Skilled reforms.
Shelley Hancock - LIBERAL
TAFE NSW forms the backbone of the training system in NSW.
Our reforms will make it easier for people to take up training, giving them more choice and create more than 60,000 additional training places across the state this year so that people can do the courses that will get them a job.
We have seen the budget for vocational education increase by 11 per cent since our election and the Baird Government has also announced an $86 million package to help protect the more vulnerable members of our community by providing 200,000 fee-free scholarships in areas of skills shortages.
These changes also provide on-the-job training for over 40,000 students each year and require contractors to employ a minimum number of apprentices.
Contrary to the misinformation and scare campaign, the NSW Baird Government is making our TAFE system more sustainable and viable into the future in order to ensure TAFE leads the field in the provision of quality teaching and learning.
