The TAFE sector in Victoria is facing the most dramatic change in recent history, change so significant that a large number of jobs within the public sector may be at risk and TAFE fees will rise.

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Phantom Places Revealed in Skills Reform
23 September 2008

The NTEU today slammed the Victorian Government over its claims that 172,000 new places will be created by the controversial skills reforms.

“We believe the Victorian Government is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Victorians by misleading claims that it will create 172,000 new TAFE places as a result of its skills reforms,” said Mr Matthew McGowan, Victorian Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union.

“In fact, what the government is doing is simply using public funds to prop up privately provided places, at an enormous cost to the tax payer and to students. The additional places are phantom places.”

“The Victorian Government proposes to spend public funds on the private sector that already provides thousands of places to students at no cost to the public. Mr Brumby and Minister Allan want to claim credit for those private places because they have been caught flat footed in their sluggish response to the skills crisis. In truth, the real number of genuinely new training places will be much lower.”

“It is students that will suffer from the government’s smoke and mirrors claims, with costs for diploma level courses to increase by over 200 per cent,” said Mr McGowan.

“The new arrangements will put real pressure on TAFEs to cuts costs, and we believe that student services will be a likely target.”

“The NTEU has repeatedly called on the Premier and Minister for Skills to give a guarantee that no TAFE will be worse off as a result of their reforms. The silence from the Government shows that TAFEs – particularly those institutes in regional areas – will suffer.

“We welcome and support the comments reported today by Tammy Lobato MP, who has stood up to what frankly is dreadful conduct by the Government in the debate about skills reform,” Mr McGowan said.

For further information contact:
Matthew McGowan, Secretary, NTEU Victorian Division
Phone: (03) 9254 1930  
Mobile: 0417 054 110
Email: mmcgowan@vic.nteu.org.au

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