TAFE & Adult Provision State budget a disappointment for TAFE
The 2023-24 Victorian state budget was a missed opportunity for TAFEs, and it is disappointing to see funding cuts in a sector that needed serious investment.
The budget was a chance for the Andrews government to fix the issues plaguing Victoria’s teaching workforce, but instead they have cut funding allocations for TAFE.
While fee-free TAFE makes for a good headline, the reality is that TAFE in Victoria is still not funded to meet the actual cost of course delivery.
The Andrews government knows this is a problem – their own review made it clear that Victoria’s TAFEs are not funded to cover the full cost of training.
Recent news that Swinburne is planning to axe its TAFE horticulture courses because of inadequate funding is just the latest in a long list of cancelled courses and qualifications in Victoria over the past decade.
The Andrews government knows this is a problem – their own review made it clear that Victoria’s TAFEs are not funded to cover the full cost of training. The Premier has repeatedly stated that his government will ‘Save TAFE’ – and yet, it has cut TAFE funding and refused to address the chronic underfunding across the sector.
Full funding of TAFE is required to employ the qualified staff to ensure the delivery of fee-free TAFE courses, expand accessibility and affordability of high-quality vocational education, and ensure that Victoria has the highly skilled workforce that our students deserve.