Thursday, 8 February 2024

TAFE funding

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (17:39): (692) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Skills and TAFE, and the action that I seek is for the government to rename the free TAFE program to ‘subsidised TAFE’, so that it is actually true, fair and accurate. Now, I know the government loves to crow about how much they love TAFE, but the truth could not be further from government spin. A really interesting article came out today, and it was headed ‘TAFE funding falls short’. Let me just quote from the article for you:

Victoria’s TAFEs remain the lowest funded in the country …

New data from the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services shows the state’s vocational education and training (VET) providers –

are getting –

… almost 20 per cent less than the national average …

and significantly lower than the next one up, which is Queensland.

So much for the love for TAFE. It is a bit like Miley Cyrus, actually, coming in like a wrecking ball. That is what this minister has done, and all while students continue to incur expenses under free TAFE. Some of these expenses include accommodation, books, student levies, uniforms, police checks, working with children checks and resources. This is not about trashing TAFE. This is about being honest and fair dinkum and straight up with Victorians, because at the moment this deceptive name, ‘free TAFE’, could not be further from the truth. Free TAFE is not free, and it is about time the government actually admitted that. It is about time the government started being honest with Victorians, because students should not be deceived like this, families should not be deceived like this and Victorians should not be deceived like this. We deserve honesty. It is about time we get it.