Northern Victoria Region
Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (12:44): (679) My question is to the Minister for Skills and TAFE. I would like to know why the state government continues to refer to and advertise free TAFE courses when in fact they are not free at all. My constituent Stephanie recently tried to enrol in a TAFE course in the belief that it would be free, as advertised by the government. She was very upset to find out before her enrolment would be accepted she had to pay an administration fee and also buy books for the course. She did not have the funds on hand to pay these amounts. She wrote to me and said that no government or TAFE should state courses are free when the purchase of textbooks is compulsory for tuition, and she believes that the government should stop deceiving the public. Stephanie was feeling angry, humiliated and frustrated when she tried to begin a course that would qualify her for important work in the counselling field. These so-called free TAFE courses are in fact subsidised courses. As my colleague Mr McCracken says, free TAFE ain’t free. On behalf of my local constituent, the government should rename the free TAFE program ‘subsidised TAFE’ in the interest of truth and accuracy.
The PRESIDENT: I am assuming, Mrs Broad, the constituent tried to enrol in a TAFE that falls in your electorate.
Gaelle Broad: Yes.