Media Coverage of TAFE Cuts, 3-7 August 2012
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/51768
Unions lead RMIT protest against TAFE funding cuts
Friday, August 3, 2012
By Squirrel Main , Melbourne
More than 100 students, teachers and union activists heard speakers slam private-sector training at a August 2 protest against TAFE cuts at RMIT’s city campus.
Steve Roach from the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union’s Health and Safety Unit said he was concerned that the decline of TAFE — and the subsequent privatisation of building industry training — would lead to unsafe working conditions.
http://vicmps.greens.org.au/content/hypocrisy-tafe-labor-needs-policy-fix
Hypocrisy on TAFE from Labor needs policy fix
By JonStanger - Posted on 03 August 2012
Greens MP Colleen Hartland has labelled Labor's TAFE campaign as hypocritical and called for them to produce a policy to back their postcards and guarantee to reverse TAFE cuts.
"I was surprised to receive a flyer yesterday from a local Labor MP regarding TAFE cuts - chronic under-funding from the previous Labor government has seen Victoria's TAFE system become the lowest funded TAFE system in Australia," said Colleen Hartland.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/mp-rules-out-plan-by-swinburne-20120802-23ihk.html
MP rules out plan by Swinburne
Ben Preiss, August 3, 2012
SWINBURNE University will not be allowed to convert its Prahran campus into apartments to fund a new building at another site, a local MP has warned.
''The Prahran campus will not be turned into apartments so that Swinburne can fund its development plans,'' Prahran Liberal MP Clem Newton-Brown said. The government needs to approve the sale.
Push to join rural TAFEs to Ballarat uni
Benjamin Preiss, August 7, 2012
BALLARAT University is leading a push to bring the majority of regional Victoria's TAFE institutes under one umbrella named after former prime minister Sir Robert Menzies.
The university proposes to join with six other TAFE institutes to continue offering courses that are facing closure following state government funding cuts. The network of TAFE institutes would include Ballarat, Central Gippsland, Goulburn Ovens, Wodonga, Bendigo Regional, Sunraysia and east Gippsland's Advance TAFE, spread across 28 campuses.
TAFE cuts will keep hurting Mr Baillieu
David Williams, August 07, 2012 12:00AM
I OFTEN wonder if the Baillieu Government understands why cutting $300 million from TAFE has been met with widespread condemnation.
From peak employer bodies to unions, local councils to the Prime Minister, students to university academics, and farmers to tradesmen, there is unanimous agreement the decision is wrong.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-07/talks-underway-for-proposed-super-tafe/4181886?section=vic
Talks underway for proposed 'super TAFE'
Posted August 07, 2012 10:17:03
The University of Ballarat is in discussions with six regional TAFE institutes to create a super TAFE.
The university and TAFE institutes including Bendigo, Wodonga, Sunraysia and Gippsland have received Federal Government funding to explore whether they could work together to teach certain courses.
My Voice: Senior TAFE educator Michael Zangmeister
07 Aug, 2012 04:00 AM
Michael Zangmeister is a senior educator at the Box Hill Institute and says potential TAFE cuts will be damaging.
I’ve been at Box Hill Institute for 29 years. That sounds like a long time, but it hasn’t felt like a life sentence at all. Each year, the job has changed.
Box Hill TAFE students and staff rally in fight against 'austerity'
BY KRISTIAN SILVA, 07 Aug, 2012 04:00 AM
MORE than 100 staff and students rallied at the Box Hill Institute of TAFE Nelson campus last week to plan a protest against $24 million worth of funding cuts.
The proposed state government cuts could lead to the loss of up to 200 full-time jobs at the Box Hill institute, price hikes for students and courses scrapped.
Advance TAFE part of university alliance
07 Aug, 2012 09:17 AM
ADVANCE TAFE could be part of an alliance of TAFE institutions with the University of Ballarat.
The Age today reported that Advance TAFE could join five other TAFE institutions, including GippsTAFE, in the "Menzies Affiliation", named after former prime minister Sir Robert Menzies.
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/176475/university-of-ballarat-talks-of-super-tafe/?src=rss
University of Ballarat talks of super TAFE
By NEELIMA CHOAHAN
Aug. 7, 2012, 1:15 a.m.
THE University of Ballarat is in talks with six TAFE institutes to form a super TAFE as early as next year.
The move would see the University of Ballarat collaborate with Sunraysia TAFE, GippsTAFE, Advance TAFE, Wodonga TAFE, GoTAFE and Bendigo TAFE to offer Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects.
http://the-scan.com/2012/08/06/adapting-to-the-new-competitive-environment-in-tafe/
Adapting to the new competitive environment in TAFE
06/08/2012 By intermediatescan
In a letter to staff, Maria Peters, CEO of Chisholm TAFE Institute, has revealed that the Victorian Minister requires that Chisholm’s “Letter of Expectation” – basically, setting out how it plans to operate over the next year – should cover “consideration of opportunities to collaborate with other higher and vocational education providers to maximise the benefits and opportunities that the TAFE system has to offer.”
To this end Chisholm has been asked to explore collaborative efforts with GippsTAFE and Advance TAFE through the formation of a working party to consider how collaborative efforts across both program delivery and common service function may be achieved.
http://the-scan.com/2012/08/06/minister-halls-letter-of-expectations/
Minister Hall’s Letter of Expectations
06/08/2012 By intermediatescan
There were significant changes announced by the State Government’s ‘Refocusing the VET Sector’ policy. As you know we are working extremely hard to determine how we can best manage the impact of a loss of $30M in government funding for 2013 and beyond.
On the 19 July 2012 our Board Chair, David Willersdorf received a letter from Minister Hall. This letter set out his expectations of Chisholm and the other 13 stand alone TAFE institutes, as publically owned organisations, as we refocus our activities during the remainder of 2012 and for 2013.
http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ct/calendar/item/8cf3f7ded17e69e.aspx
Gordon Tafe meeting
Public forum - All welcome
The City of Greater Geelong will host a public meeting to discuss issues related to the Victorian Government announced funding cuts for Gordon TAFE.
08 August 2012, Geelong West Town Hall 153 Pakington Street Geelong West
http://the-scan.com/2012/08/06/protests-against-tafe-cuts-intensify/
Protests against TAFE cuts intensify
06/08/2012 By intermediatescan
Australian Financial Review 6 August 2012
More protests will be held in Victoria this week as education unions fight job losses now expected to reach 2000 and with campus closures imminent as a result of the state government’s budget cuts in May.
Staff from Chisholm Institute of TAFE will march on member for Frankston Geoff Shaw’s office tomorrow and a protest will be held at Swinburne University’s Lilydale campus on Wednesday. The Lilydale campus will close on July 1 next year and another of Swinburne’s campuses is under a cloud following the university’s decision to relocate its design faculty from Prahran to Hawthorn.
Swinburne's fight for Prahran sale
by: Andrew Trounson, August 07, 2012 12:00AM
SWINBURNE University is facing a major political fight against its plans to sell off part of its up-market Prahran campus.
Local state Liberal government member Clem Newton-Brown is vowing to oppose any sale to private interests or developers as he lobbies to retain the site as an educational precinct.
Staff, students unite to fight 'vandalism against public education'
BY KRISTIAN SILVA K.SILVA@FAIRFAXMEDIA.COM.AU, 06 Aug, 2012 02:03 PM
MORE than 100 staff and students rallied at the Box Hill Institute of TAFE Nelson campus last week to plan a protest against $24 million worth of funding cuts.
The proposed state government cuts could lead to the loss of up to 200 full-time jobs at the Box Hill institute, price hikes for students and courses scrapped.
Victorian National Tertiary Education Union branch secretary Dr Colin Long said the changes would be "an act of vandalism against the public education system".
Branch Contacts
Branch Office
120 Clarendon Street
Victorial TAFE Institution
Phone: 03 9254 1930
Fax: 03 9254 1935
vic@nteu.org.au
http://www.nteu.org.au/tafe
Rachel Neumann
Branch President
rneumann@sunitafe.edu.au
