Hold the Howard Government accountable on TAFE

By Phil Bradley and Linda Simon

The Howard Government's TAFE funding cuts amount to approximately $400 million each year or a cut of 26 per cent in real terms since 1997. These funding cuts have contributed to increased class sizes, casualisation, increased workload, course cuts and much higher student fees and charges.

Public money is also being used to fund privately operated Australian Technical Colleges (ATCs). ATCs have already had more than $550 million committed to them before the Howard Government's recent announcement of $2.1 billion to provide for 100 more ATCs over the next 10 years. This is an appalling waste of public funds.

The NSW Government has contributed to the under-funding of TAFE and has also increased TAFE student fees. However, a federal election is a chance to hold the Howard Government accountable for its actions and policies.

The Howard Government continues to denigrate TAFE, eulogise private training and make other worrying statements such as introducing a student loan system like HECS and funding TAFE based on student places rather than on teaching hours.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) election claim is for an additional $470 million in 2008 for TAFE Institutes across Australia to allow them to meet the increased demand for vocational education and training places to address the skills shortage crisis.

It is therefore welcome that Greens education spokesperson Senator Kerry Nettle has recently announced that The Greens will lobby in Federal Parliament for a $975 million annual boost to TAFE funding, including a $50 million sustainability package. Senator Nettle has said: "The TAFE system should be at the forefront of turning Australia green, training renewable energy tradespeople...and The Greens are totally opposed to the privatisation of the TAFE system and the commercialisation of TAFE courses."

The Greens is the only major party to consistently call for a significant increase in government funds for TAFE, and for the abolition of student fees and charges.

ALP education and training spokesperson Stephen Smith has said: "Over the past 11 long years, investment in TAFE has been very seriously neglected by the Howard Government. There is a crucial need for greater investment in TAFEs, which remain the single largest provider of vocational education and training in Australia. This needs to be both a recurrent investment and an infrastructure investment to upgrade inadequate and out-of-date infrastructure and equipment to ensure our apprentices and trainees are working on industry relevant equipment."

Meetings with federal election candidates have been taking place in TAFE colleges including Ultimo, Wollongong, Northern Beaches, Ryde, Randwick, Kingscliff, Wollongbar, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Great Lakes, Maitland, Kingswood, Gosford and Wyong. The Greens have attended all meetings, continuing to deliver their strong message of support for TAFE in terms of funding, permanency of the teaching workforce and support for TAFE to deliver skills in renewable energies. Senator Kerry Nettle has attended many of these meetings. The Democrats have also indicated strong support for TAFE and increased investment.

Representatives of the Howard Government have been missing, with Luke Hartsuyker being the only current government Member of Parliament to attend a meeting. Neither the Government nor the Opposition candidates have been able to speak of specific policies in relation to TAFE, but Labor candidates have indicated a strong commitment to TAFE and a willingness to address local issues.

Our message is "TAFE is the answer!" and "Vote for candidates who support TAFE in particular and public education in general".

Phil Bradley is the Assistant General Secretary (Post School Education) and Linda Simon is the Secretary of TAFE Teachers Association.

Teachers go in to bat for students over TAFE fees

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2007