TAFEs target regional seats in protest at cuts to funding

TAFE unions will target the Baillieu government's most vulnerable MPs in their protest at cuts to public sector training.

TAFE Victoria protest

TAFE unions will target the Baillieu government's one-seat majority in parliament with a two-year campaign against heavy cuts to public sector training, focusing on marginal regional seats where the cuts are expected to hurt TAFEs hardest.

TAFEs are warning that 1500 jobs will be lost as a result of the cuts in the state budget, of which about 500 will be shed in regional areas. Regional students are also expected to be hit hard by high fees and course cuts given the lack of alternative providers.

The Victorian government has a slim one-seat majority in parliament and regional seats will be a key battleground in the next 2014 election. Two of the Coalition's most marginal seats are in regional areas, while Labor has seven marginal seats in regional areas.

"We will be looking at the impact of the cuts in marginal seats and at where it is politically sensitive," National Tertiary Education Union Victorian secretary Colin Long told The Australian at a protest rally outside parliament yesterday by more than 1500 TAFE staff, students and unionists.

Victorian TAFE Association executive director David Williams said regional TAFEs were likely to be among the hardest hit. He said course offerings at one regional TAFE were expected to be slashed from 350 study areas to just 200. He said TAFEs would probably be forced to stop subsidising vocational education and training in schools, leaving few alternatives in regional areas.

Joe Piper, chief executive at regional South West TAFE, said the funding cuts risked making many entry-level courses unviable because it was unrealistic to expect students to be able to pay the higher fees needed to cover the reduced government subsidies. He said his TAFE would probably have to increase its fee for an entry-level business qualification from $800 to $5000.

"In regional Victoria, raising prices won't cut it," he warned.

Most under threat are entry level courses in areas such as hospitality, business and information technology, which Mr Piper said had good employment outcomes in the region.

He said South West currently subsidised about 1000 school students, but funding that was now "problematic".

"We will do everything humanly possible to (continue) that," he said.

Victoria's Higher Education and Skills Minister, Peter Hall said it was "premature" to talk about job losses and campus job loses.

"We want to discuss with the TAFEs the modelling they have undertaken and compare it with the modelling the department has undertaken and just determine what future that they have," he said.

He attacked the unions for inefficient workplace agreements. The Australian Education Workers Union responded that it was these agreements that supported higher quality in TAFEs.