A FEDERAL government proposal to take over TAFE funding from the states would have serious consequences for the New England region, the NSW Teachers Federation says.
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Under a Turnbull government proposal, obtained by Fairfax Media, TAFE fees would be deregulated and TAFEs would receive the same levels of funding as private colleges, in a bid to increase competition in the sector.
States could provide some top-up funding for TAFE, but only enough to ensure “competitive neutrality” with private providers under the shake-up, which would transform the vocational education and training (VET) sector.
The paper, marked “in confidence”, has been circulated to state governments for discussion ahead of a planned Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in March.
NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) representative and TAFE organiser Kathy Nicholson said the proposal would “compact the education vandalism” already happening in the TAFE New England (TNE) system.
“Moving to a completely competitive environment would destroy TAFE in the bush even further,” Ms Nicholson said.
“The proposal would force TAFE to compete with shonky operators who don’t live here, don’t have a commitment to the region, with many of them just operating online.”
Ms Nicolson said the leaked document was another blow to education in the region, as TNE proposed to cut 22 jobs from its support services, such as counsellors, disability services and Aboriginal services.
NSWTF met with TNE this week to discuss the proposal and attempted to “help the institute change its mind”.
“It’s important in a region like this that we try to work together to do what’s best for community,” Ms Nicholson said.
TNE will continue to consult with its staff about the proposal until February 12.
It will then be submitted to TAFE NSW managing director Jon Black and NSW Skills Minister John Barilaro.