[Greens-Media] Greens say Labor's TAFE 'investments' not enough to restore TAFE to the heart of VET in Victoria

[Michelle.Panayi at parliament.vic.gov.au]

Media Release

23 November 2012

Greens say Labor's TAFE 'investments' not enough to restore TAFE to the 
heart of VET in Victoria

Greens MP and spokesperson on Education, Sue Pennicuik, said today that 
Labor's list of re-investments in TAFE are not enough to restore public 
our TAFE institutes to the centre of the VET system. 

"Labor has at last announced what it plans to do in the face of the 
disaster confronting Victoria's public TAFE institutes", Ms Pennicuik 
said. "However, it makes no mention of undoing the market contestability 
that it put in place and that has been so catastrophic for TAFE."

"The ALP still won’t admit that the system it put in place is the cause of 
the problem or commit to winding it back and putting our public TAFE 
system at the heart of VET in Victoria", Ms Pennicuik said. 

"I have no argument with Labor's list of 'investments' in TAFE, concerning 
registration, auditing and quality control of private RTOs - which is 
welcome given the much publicised rorting by a number of them, a skills 
commissioner and guaranteed places for apprentices and re-trenched 
workers, but these are incidental to addressing the root cause of the 
disaster that is facing the TAFE system in Victoria", Ms Pennicuik said. 

" While it is the current state government that has callously ripped 
almost $300 million out of of TAFE, leading to course and campus closures 
and massive staff losses, it is the competitive market-driven model that 
was put in place by the previous Labor government, that started it all," 
Ms Pennicuik said.

"Labor's announcement that it will reinstate funding to TAFE institutes 
for their community service obligations was expected, but is not enough to 
restore TAFE to the centre of VET in Victoria", Ms Pennicuik said.

For further information contact Sue Pennicuik on 9530 8399


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Parliament of Victoria                                                                                                                    . 
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