Bega future at risk as old parties rip off TAFE
Media release: 12 Feb 2015
Figures released today by the Greens NSW show that Labor and the Coalition are prepared to hand over hundreds of millions of dollars of TAFE money to private for-profit training corporations.
Greens NSW MP John Kaye is today visiting the South East with the party’s local candidate for the state electorate of Bega, Margaret Perger, to raise the alarm on Liberal, National and Labor policies that allow private-for-profit corporations to receive government subsidies to replace TAFE.
Dr Kaye will be available for interview with Ms Perger in Batemans Bay at 10 am.
Dr Kaye said: "Both the Baird government and NSW Labor are prepared to hand over massive slices of TAFE's funding to the corporate sector through competitive market mechanisms.
"In the Bega electorate, that means a grim future for TAFE and for the economy as skills and vocational education become much harder to obtain.
"The Liberals and Nationals' Smart and Skilled training market has already seen 19 percent of the state's $2.3 billion annual vocational educational and training budget allocated through market mechanisms.
"That's $440 million that TAFE already has to try to claw back from private training providers.
"The equivalent of 4,400 teaching position that could have been guaranteed to TAFE could be lost to the competitive market.
"Labor is happy to let that grow to 30 percent of the total training budget, so that $693 million, or 7,000 potential teaching positions could disappear each year from TAFE's budget.
"Based on a University of Sydney study of TAFE privatisation in other states, about 30 percent of government subsidies for corporate training providers end up as profits.
"More than $200 million a year could disappear into corporate profits under Labor's cap.
"Worse still, under the Liberal and National's Smart and Skilled there are no limits on the share of TAFE's budget that could be hollowed out into the competitive market.
"The Greens are opposed to any public money going to private providers that operate for profit," Dr Kaye said.
Greens Candidate for Bega Margaret Perger said: "Our region is dependent on the skills and education that TAFE provides.
"Public funds disappearing into the profits of the private providers will inevitably result in fewer opportunities for young people and the long term unemployed.
"It will lower the quality of training and place the economy in a highly precarious position.
"Andrew Constance is turning his back on the future of our region. He is the Treasurer in a government that is bringing TAFE to its knees.
“Staff and students at both our local campuses, Moruya and Bega, are struggling to cope with the massive problems caused by the new TAFE enrolment software. It should never have been rolled out so soon.
“In less than two months of the competitive market ‘Smart and Skilled’, TAFE is already at a serious disadvantage.
“I am also told that Bega TAFE has had to scrap some popular courses and has struggled to maintain some vocational training, including for skills essential for likely changes to the local economy and industries.
“Mr Constance must explain to job seekers and young people in his electorate why he is prepared to allow hundreds of millions of dollars to be at risk of ending up as private profit while massively increasing TAFE fees.
“Labor’s policy won’t “rescue” TAFE. It only makes matters worse.
"The Greens are committed to a high quality TAFE system that does not have to go into competition against large corporations for funding.
"We will be moving to take fees back to their 2010 level and stop the competitive market in its tracks,” said Ms Perger.
For more information:
John Kaye 0407 195 455
Margaret Perger 0400 719 077