Laura Smyth (La Trobe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) considers that the extreme funding cuts to Victorian TAFEs announced by the Victorian Liberal Government will:

(a) damage the opportunities of hundreds of thousands of Victorian students for a decent education and for skilled employment;

(b) damage industry in Victoria which relies on TAFEs to provide skills and training to a local workforce; and

(c) result in job cuts and cuts to course offerings, including cuts of up to $300 million across Victorian TAFEs and up to 2000 Victorian jobs; and

(2) calls on the Victorian Liberal Government to abandon its irresponsible cuts to TAFE funding immediately, and reinstate proper funding to the sector.

I was going to begin this evening by saying that I was most surprised to see the Baillieu government's $300 million in cuts to TAFE across Victoria announced in the state government's budget recently but, given the acts of the state government in cutting 3,600 Public Service jobs on a Friday night via press release, it is becoming increasingly difficult to be shocked by anything presented by the Baillieu government. So I will continue to endeavour not to be shocked by their antics.

It is appalling, however, that the state government has seen fit to cut into TAFE funding—funding for students who are seeking to improve their education; funding in many instances for students who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and face a range of educational challenges. It is most disappointing and I am sure that members of the National Party and people who represent regional areas which are serviced by TAFEs must similarly be concerned not only by the financial cuts that are being made but by the consequent effects for jobs. We have seen estimates that around 2,000 jobs across Victoria are expected to go by as early as the start of next year—and those are not my estimates; those are the estimates of the Victorian TAFE Association.

To give members an idea of the magnitude of cuts for each campus, I will mention a few of them. In 2013, the statewide cuts will mean that Box Hill TAFE, for instance, will suffer funding cuts of around $24 million; Chisholm TAFE, which has a campus in my own electorate of La Trobe, will face a cut of around $25½ million; the cut to Holmesglen TAFE will be $25½ million; William Angliss TAFE will face a $5.8 million cut; Ballarat TAFE will be cut by $20 million; and Gippsland TAFE—I note that the member for Gippsland is due to speak in this debate—will be cut by $10 million. These are extraordinary figures that have been sprung upon individual campuses which are responsible for thousands of students who, as I mentioned, face educational disadvantage in many instances.

This government has a right to be interested in this issue, as the federal government has invested $224 million in TAFEs over the last four years through projects that have upgraded facilities and equipment in campuses right across Victoria, in addition to the $360 million in funding provided on average each year. So it is entirely appropriate that this debate come before this House tonight. I know that it is of significance to a great many members on this side of the House, and it should be of interest and importance to a great many members on the other side of the House.

Under the Council of Australian Governments agreement reached with the states in April, the Commonwealth has offered Victoria $435 million to support reforms to the vocational education and training system to improve quality and transparency. I should note that one of the significant consequences of the TAFE cuts is that thousands of Victorian high school students may also miss out on vocational education programs. Around 40,000 students are enrolled in vocational education and training in schools, in which TAFEs provide some of the teaching to support the program. I know that at least one school principal from my electorate, Wayne Burgess of Emerald Secondary College, has expressed his concern and remarked:

For some students, these programs keep them coming to school and keep them engaged. If they stop, what happens? We want high retention rates, we want students with skills, but now we're taking the very thing that motivates them.

Most importantly, I can see the damage that is likely to be caused at a personal level to students currently in the system and to prospective students as well as to each TAFE college across Victoria. I have met with Maria Peters, the director and CEO of the Chisholm Institute of TAFE in my electorate. Chisholm has campuses at Cranbourne, Berwick, Dandenong and Frankston and, on current estimates provided by the Victorian TAFE Association, is expected to lose around $25 million, a substantial amount of its revenue. I know that Ms Peters is gravely concerned about the potential increase in course fees and the reduction in course availability. I know that she is extremely concerned about the long-term legacy of those cuts, particularly for students who face disadvantage and for whom TAFE currently presents an opportunity to find meaningful employment.

We are already seeing examples of these kinds of cuts and the effects that they are likely to have on students who might be the worst affected. For instance, we have seen the circumstances of Ben Carbonaro, who relied on support services such as those provided by RMIT TAFE's Disability Liaison Unit during his studies that ultimately led to a journalism degree. Support services such as these are the very services that are most at risk of being cut back because of the Baillieu government's cuts to TAFE. Likewise, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are likely to experience disproportionately severe effects from this cuts. I urge members to support this motion. (Time expired)

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