Teachers stop work at Wollongbar

By Malcolm Ogg

TAFE teachers at Wollongbar campus of TAFE stopped work for two hours on October 27 to highlight the continued decline in funding for TAFE.

Teachers, community leaders and members of the community along with members of parliament were invited to assist in preventing the continued decline in the provision of TAFE courses in the community.

The failure of the Carr State Government and the Howard Federal Government to adequately fund TAFE is the main cause of the skills shortage that exists across NSW and Australia. The budget provided to a number of teaching sections in the North Coast Institute indicates there will be insufficient funding for the salaries of the full time TAFE teaching staff, not to mention the part time casual TAFE teachers.

The human impact of the budget constraints has had a measurable adverse effect on the health of many staff. The worry by staff at being able to provide courses for students and sufficient work for teachers has come at the cost of increased sick leave and workers compensation claims.

The cynical election promise to establish 24 Australian Technical Colleges, meant to overcome the existing skills shortage, at best will only provide an additional 20,000 student places. This is despite the ACTU identifying a shortfall of 160,000 skilled workers by 2006.

The Howard Government's simplistic action in removing Federal Government growth funding from TAFE institutes and funding the privately owned vocational training organisation was meant to improve access and reduce skills shortages. The plan has obviously failed.

Mr Howard stated frequently during the election that his was the only party experienced enough to manage the country. We now see the Howard Government managing the largest national skills shortage in recent history with a bandaid "Australian Technical College" solution.

The proposal to centrally locate the Australian Technical Colleges would further disadvantage many communities on the North Coast that are currently being serviced by TAFE. The $289.1 million proposed to be spent on such colleges would be better spent on the TAFE colleges and schools that are already equipped and located across the majority of communities.

Australian taxpayers should not have to fund three separate providers, the state run TAFE system, the privately owned vocational education and training providers and now the proposed federally funded Australian Technical Colleges. TAFE already has the workshops, equipment and industry skilled teachers. The Australian taxpayer deserves to have a Federal Government which seeks to address the problems together with the experts in the area, not through bypassing the TAFE institutes and creating another structure altogether.

Federal and state governments should be working together to extend and enrich the courses available to all Australians. The Howard Government plans instead to waste our money by duplicating existing courses in the areas that already have TAFE and school provision.

Malcolm Ogg is a TAFE Organiser.

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