O’Farrell must ditch disastrous Vic training market model for TAFE

by Port Jackson Greens • January 9, 2012 • Education

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell’s chief bureaucrat is leading TAFE NSW down the same path that resulted in the collapse of public vocational education and training in Victoria and South Australia, according to Greens MP John Kaye.

Greens NSW MP John Kaye said: “The devastation of public vocational education training in other states is being ignored. The O’Farrell Government is being advised by its chief bureaucrat Chris Eccles to throw TAFE into competition with low cost, low quality private providers.

“The same plans in Victoria have taken that state’s TAFE system to the brink of collapse privatise the provision of VET in this state.

“When Mr Eccles worked for the Victorian government, he designed the training market that has resulted in TAFE beings starved of students and money. The public system now faces privatisation.

“Premier Barry O’Farrell admitted that Chris Eccles is influencing skills policy in NSW which is beginning to look a lot like the ‘market reforms’ that have devastated TAFE in Victoria.

“If the NSW government adopts the Victorian model this state will lose not only the economic advantages of a highly educated workforce but also the social benefits that come from every individual being able to access affordable, quality skills training.

“Education Minister Adrian Piccoli must stand up to the Premier and his chief bureaucrat. NSW should not follow Victoria and South Australia into wrecking its TAFE system on the rocks of market ideology.

“As the Victorians are scrambling to deal with the devastating consequences of the reform agenda promoted by Chris Eccles, NSW is being led down the same disastrous path of forcing TAFE into competition with low cost, low quality private providers.

“Chris Eccles’ competition agenda has devastated TAFE in Victoria to the point that privatisation is now seriously on the agenda. NSW should learn from this lesson and not let the market disease cross the Murray River,” Dr Kaye said.