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The VTA is Victoria's peak employer body for the public providers of TAFE in Victoria. We have as our members all of Victoria's TAFE Institutes, four Victorian Multi-sector Universities, and an Associate member, AMES. VTA engages its members in developing, supporting and advocating policies and practices that progress and sustain their interests.
VTA Statement on Budget 2012
Media Release - 4 May 2012 as a pdf
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4 May 2012
TAFE BUDGET CUTS
MOST IN NEED HARDEST HIT
The Victorian TAFE Association is today notifying students with disabilities, special need and Koorie students they are at risk of missing out on vocational training resulting from the funding cuts in the Victorian Budget.
The controversial removal of the whole of service provider funding to Victorian TAFE Institutes includes funding specifically targeted to at-needs groups in the Victorian Community.
Those in greatest need in our TAFE system will be hit hard by the cuts, said David Williams, Executive Director Victorian TAFE Association.
“The whole of service provider funding has been used by TAFE to employ support services and teacher aids to assist students with special needs achieve qualifications and eventually employment. This funding has been totally cut in the budget.
“This cut is unconscionable. This funding has assisted thousands of students with special needs. Many TAFE Institutes will now be unable to provide the services as the funding has been taken away.
With TAFE job cuts in the order of over 1200 people, facilities closure and reduced course offerings, it has to have serious consequences for those most in need in our community.
“The cuts are the biggest in the history of TAFE and it is anticipated the additional cost of training students with special needs will present a major challenge to many Institutes now struggling to remain viable,“ said David Williams.
For comment, please contact: Mr David Williams, Executive Director T: 03 9639 8100 M: 0417 592 119
Media Release - 3 May 2012 as a pdf
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3 May 2012
VICTORIAN TAFE DEMANDS FEDERAL INTERVENTION
500 – 1,200 JOBS LOST
The Victorian TAFE Association is contacting the Federal Skills Minister, Senator Chris Evans and the Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Hon. Bill Shorten and calling on them to intervene in the Victorian TAFE sector to prevent hundreds of job losses and the decimation of the TAFE sector in Victoria.
The Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu signed off on the National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform on 13th April, just a few short weeks ago. He agreed to; “implement strategies which enable public providers to operate effectively in an environment of greater competition, recognizing their important functions …” (source NPA clauses 6d and 29b)
The Premier is now in our view in breach of this commitment.
The State Government must immediately review its budget announcement and restore the “full service provision” payments to public TAFE providers of approximately $150million per annum. This amount has been progressively paid over the last two decades for TAFE community service obligations, staff legal entitlements and student disability support payments.
The Federal Government contributes over $290 million through COAG agreements per annum to Victoria.
The State government confirmed today to TAFE CEOs that the budget cuts to TAFE equate to about the same amount, in the order of $290million in 2013 according to their financial modeling.
The Executive Director of the Victorian TAFE Association, David Williams today stated that early indications are for massive job losses in the sector.
“Early indications of the impact of the budget cuts to TAFE are job losses which will clearly exceed 500 effective full time roles, as many as 1,200 to 1,500 teaching and support staff over the coming year,” said David Williams.
“These losses are in excess of those threatened in the Victorian automotive and manufacturing industry, which the government has rightly sought to protect. It should apply no less principle to TAFE.”
“It is clear Premier Baillieu’s promise of no job losses to front-line public sector jobs has been shattered and many of these critical jobs will be in regional Victoria where alternative work options are limited, particularly for teachers and associated staff such as librarians and counseling support staff.”
“We wrote to the Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Hon. Bill Shorten over a month ago outlining our concerns that the cuts to TAFE funding from November last year represented a shift of work from the public to private sector. This is in clear breach of the principles of the Federal Workplace Relations Act. We have not received a formal response from the Minister and eagerly await his response.
The massive additional cuts in this Victorian budget call for an urgent response from both Minister Shorten and Senator Evans.”
“We will be writing to Federal Skills Minister, Senator Chris Evans over the next day or so outlining our concerns and the obvious breaching of obligations by the Victorian Government under the COAG National Partnership Agreement” said David Williams.
For comment, please contact: Mr David Williams, Executive Director T: 03 9639 8100 M: 0417 592 119
Media Statement -1st May 2012 as a pdf.
RESPONSE TO VICTORIAN BUDGET 1 MAY 2012
STATEMENT BY VICTORIAN TAFE ASSOCIATION
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DAVID WILLIAMS
EMBARGOED UNTIL 3.30PM TUESDAY 1 ST MAY
The Victorian TAFE Association is providing a brief statement in response to the Victorian State Budget 1 May 2012.
Over the coming weeks the TAFE Industry will have a chance to collectively assess the full ramifications of the budget and provide more detailed responses.
Some TAFEs view the government’s budget cuts as immoral; some even go to the point of describing them as destructive actions to community assets. The government are the custodians of the community assets of TAFE Providers and have made these budget cutting decisions.
The overriding consideration of Victorian TAFE is to continue to be a viable, quality driven first choice provider of training to its students, local communities and to the Victorian public.
In brief some of the key outcomes of the Victorian Budget on the Vocational Education Sector and TAFE are as follows:
- Budget delivers biggest funding cut to TAFE in history – in our early estimate well over $100 million per annum across the sector. This means many current TAFE courses will cease and some facilities are likely to be closed.
- Some TAFE institutes will need to consider structural reform.
- Students will be hit hard, as many fees will need to increase to cover funding cuts. The Government acknowledges this and has lifted fee caps in the Budget.
- Funding changes are de facto Privatisation of TAFE.
- The budget removes ‘public sector’ full service funding to TAFE’s which means funding for rates of pay for staff, more investment in student welfare services, and other benefits are cut.
- The retrospective removal of funding for TAFE community service obligations, public sector wages supplementation and infrastructure that has been paid to TAFEs over the past 20 years is against the recommendation of the Government’s own review (Essential Services Commission).
- TAFE will be competing in the marketplace alongside private providers, in most cases against lower wages and working conditions, amenities and student services.
- There has been no consultation, or public mandate to move to a de facto privatisation of public TAFE’s.
- The Budget clearly indicates Premier Baillieu has broken his promise as front line TAFE staff will inevitably need to be retrenched in significant numbers to meet lowered funding.
TAFE remains committed to continuing a 100 year plus obligation to the Victorian Public in providing the best pathway for students to learn, grow and become participants in the Australian workforce. TAFE will remain focussed on working through the difficulties presented by the Victorian Budget in the interests of the Victorian community.
David J Williams
Executive Director
VTA State Conference: 17 & 18 May 2012
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Fact Sheet: Snapshot of TAFE in Victoria (Sept 2011)
Click here to download a copy of the two page Fact Sheet in pdf format. (56KB)
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Page updated 4 May 2012