Anyone for soup?

Soup kitchen to counter fee hike

By Peter de Graaff

TAFE teachers at the Nowra Campus held a TAFE fee increase soup kitchen on September 25 to highlight the financial difficulties fee increases will cause students next year.

Nowra TAFE Federation Representative Keith Bourke said that next year teachers would have to hold soup kitchens for their students on a regular basis.

"The size of the fee increases means that many students will struggle to survive and it may mean a choice between studying and eating," Mr Bourke said.

"Not all students receive fee exemptions as they have small incomes through working part-time, however, the fee increases will cause them financial disadvantage."

Teachers organised for the hospitality and catering section at Nowra to prepare a variety of poverty soups and bread rolls.

Local Liberal MP Shelley Hancock and local Greens candidate Jane Banje attended the soup kitchen and talked to students about the impact of the fee increases. Labor MP Matt Brown from the adjoining seat of Kiama was also invited to attend, but declined.

Dapto teachers hold sausage sizzle

Dapto TAFE teachers held a fee free sausage sizzle on September 24.

Dapto TAFE Federation Representative Darrell Redman said: "To publicise the importance of the TAFE fee increase issue to teachers and students we have organised a fee free sausage sizzle for all students, and invited the media to attend. If students want sauce with their fee free sausage it will cost them $750 Refshauge dollars -- the cost of an average TAFE course next year."

At both the Nowra and Dapto fee events many students took the opportunity to sign petitions, write letters to MPs, and complete survey forms of the personal impact of the fees upon them.

Media representatives attended both events which were widely reported in the Illawarra and South Coast media.

Peter de Graaff is a TAFE Organiser.

Novel protest

Concerns remain over restructure mark 2

TAFE course fee exemptions re-instated

No extra federal funds for extra students

TAFE strike postponed

For further information

October 2003 contents