CASH collected from any fire sale of TAFE campuses is unlikely to be invested back into education and training, Kororoit MP Marlene Kairouz says.
She said that when asked about the sale of campuses marked for closure in leaked cabinet documents, Premier Ted Baillieu had failed to guarantee money raised would go back into the TAFE system.
“First, the Baillieu government slashed $290 million in funding, forcing TAFEs across Victoria to sell assets, and now in a double blow the Premier has refused to guarantee that TAFEs can keep the money from asset sales so they can continue to operate,” Ms Kairouz said.
This was “disastrous news” for the Victoria University TAFE, struggling after about $40 million was cut from its budget. The leaked documents reveal VU is closing its Newport campus and seeking funding equivalent to the sale price to help relocate services from its CBD campus to Footscray.
VU TAFE supporters staged a vocal rally in Footscray Mall last Thursday, demanding the government reverse its TAFE funding cuts. The Friends of Victoria University rally was spurred by more cuts at VU, with youth guarantee funding dropping from $2.1 million to about $680,000 and at least 13 full-time youth support and education positions being lost. Friends of VU’s Dave Kerin said the cuts would impact most heavily on the disadvantaged in the community. “Friends of VU calls on the government, and any party intending to form government in future, to commit to properly funding high-quality youth, migrant and further education programs in the west.”
A public meeting will be held from 6.30 tonight at the Maribyrnong Council offices in Footscray.
