Today’s revelations in the Sydney Morning Herald that hundreds of tradespeople with fraudulent qualifications bought from criminal syndicates are working on NSW building sites prompted a simple response from NSW Teachers Federation President Henry Rajendra:
“We told you so.”
“When federal, state and territory governments opened Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) sector up to private industry, we warned this would happen,” Mr Rajendra said.
“We warned that dodgy private providers would flood the market with bogus qualifications. We warned that firms would have to hire workers with certificates not worth the paper they were issued on. We warned that public confidence in TAFE would be undermined and lead to a skills shortage. We warned that it would cost businesses money and put lives at risk.
“And that’s exactly what’s happened.
“Even now, with a Labor Government that’s committed to expanding the FREE TAFE program and restoring TAFE’s rightful place as the centrepiece of Australian VET, we’re still dealing with the fallout of this dangerous and irresponsible experiment in privatisation.
“There are people out there installing electrical wiring in buildings without the proper training. There are people doing plumbing and waterproofing and carpentry and concreting work that starts falling apart as soon as it’s installed. Regulatory agencies are now forced to play an endless game of whack-a-mole, trying to catch out the criminal enterprises churning out these fake qualifications.
“This is why we need to rebuild TAFE – not just with bricks and mortar, but in terms of rebuilding the public’s confidence. The Albanese Government’s Free TAFE program is a fantastic start. Since January 2023, Free TAFE placements have given more than 600,000 people the means to earn good, trusted qualifications and start rewarding, well-paid work.
“That makes the federal election on May 3 more important than ever. Peter Dutton’s Coalition has promised to scrap Free TAFE and cut $1.5 billion in TAFE funding if they’re elected. That will reopen the floodgates. Criminal syndicates and dodgy for-profit training schools will be issuing fake qualifications like there’s no tomorrow – and the public are the ones who will suffer.
“We cannot let Peter Dutton and the Coalition wreck TAFE all over again. Our building industry and the public’s safety depends on it.”