[Greens-Media] Private college rorting set to get worse under Abbott government policy changes

[Rhiannon, Lee (Senator)]

MEDIA RELEASE
18 October 2014

Private college rorting set to get worse under Abbott government policy changes

Responding to reports today that private, for-profit education providers are targeting people with disabilities and the homeless in order to maximise government subsidies at the same time state governments are slashing funding for public TAFE's, Australian Greens spokesperson for higher education Senator Lee Rhiannon said:

"Private for-profit companies are engaging in cheap, grubby tactics when they target the most disadvantaged in our community, including young Australians with mental health issues, by offering them free laptops and iPads.

"This is the inevitable byproduct of the Coalition plan that robs money from the public sector and effectively encourages unscrupulous private training companies to enrol as many students as possible without wearing any of the risk or responsibility for the quality of education they provide.

"This privatised and market driven framework for education is failing the needs of our VET students and failing the needs of the Australian economy.

"This is exactly the same kind of system Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne want to unleash in the higher education sector by robbing public universities to handout $500 million in government funding to private, for-profit providers.

"At the same time, the Abbott government has slashed the funding of TEQSA, the tertiary regulator, by 41 per cent and sacked nearly one third of their workforce.

"Expanding government funding to private, for profit providers while slashing regulation is a recipe for disaster and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as their families, will pay the price.

Contact - Brami Jegan 0487 350 880


Senator Lee Rhiannon
72 Campbell St
Surry Hills 2010
Ph 02 9211 9523