Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) 19 June 2018 is National TAFE Day, and

  (ii) the day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the public TAFE system;

(b) further notes that:

  (i) since 2005, Government Vocational and Education Training (VET) funding has declined by 32 per cent, and

  (ii) the share of publicly-funded students taught at TAFE has fallen from 81 per cent in 2009 to 50 per cent in 2015;

(c) recognises that TAFE is a cornerstone of Australia’s vocational education and training sector, and that its position and status within the sector is diminished when it is inadequately funded;

(d) acknowledges that TAFE should never be considered a competitor to the for-profit registered training operators, but has its own important function within the sector and the community more broadly; and

(e) calls on the Government to ensure that TAFEs are always fully-funded and publicly-owned, now and into the future.