Mary-Anne Thomas MP, Labor Member for Macedon
It really is baffling that any member of the Liberal Party finds it appropriate to attack the Andrews Labor Government on TAFE after what they did to Victoria’s TAFE system (‘Labor’s VET record’, Opinions, August 7).
When the Liberals were last in government, and Amanda Millar was a member of the Upper House, they slashed over $1 billion from TAFE. TAFE campuses were forced to close, including right here in Kyneton, and 2400 teachers were sacked. And Victorians will never forget it.
The Liberals have absolutely no credibility when it comes to TAFE and training in Victoria.
The Andrews Labor Government is making record investments to rebuild Victoria’s TAFE and training system, to ensure Victorians get the skills they need for good, secure jobs building our state and caring for our community.
To help remove cost as a barrier to training, Labor is delivering $172 million to make 30 priority TAFE courses and 18 pre-apprenticeship courses free, with no tuition fees.
We’re supporting more Victorians to access the training they need, with $303.8 million to create more than 30,000 new training places.
We’re also modernising apprenticeships, with $43.8 million to revamp learning materials, ensure consistent industry standards with new independent assessments, and bring back trade papers to recognise these qualifications.
Our investments are seeing a turnaround in Victorian TAFEs – Victorian TAFEs have increased enrolments by almost 12 per cent from 2016 to 2017, compared to a national decline of 3.4 per cent for the same period.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer – while Labor invests in TAFE and our kids’ future, all the Liberals do is cut.
