Government in 'civil war' with states over funding for TAFEs, says Rob Oakeshott

A "BELLIGERENT and nasty" dispute over training funding shows what can be expected from the Gonski review, according Rob Oakeshott.

A "BELLIGERENT and nasty" dispute over training funding shows what can be expected from the Gonski review, according to independent MP Rob Oakeshott.

Mr Oakeshott said the government was locked in a "crown civil war" with the states over funding for TAFEs.

Consequently it had sidelined TAFEs from funding schemes potentially worth well over $1 billion.

He said the issue was a demonstration of the failure of the Council of Australian Governments: "You start to get into how the commonwealth and the states are negotiating in secondary education over the Gonski recommendations. Politics is beating policy at the moment."

He was most frustrated about the $500 million regional round of the Education Investment Fund, part of the $3.9bn of regional education, health and infrastructure commitments he and independent Tony Windsor secured from Labor following the 2010 election.

TAFEs as well as universities are eligible, but with more than $260m allocated, all grants have gone to universities.

All six regional TAFE institutes in NSW and many in other states have applied for EIF funding and have not heard back.

HIGHER EDUCATION P25