9th Nov 2011 – Senate Motions - Vocational Education and Training - Support TAFE

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, which means it was rejected. The motion was:

That the Senate-

(a)   notes that:

(i)   the technical and further education (TAFE) system, as the dominant provider of vocational education and training (VET) since its inception, has improved Australian skill levels with important assistance provided to Indigenous and other disadvantaged communities,

(ii)   while TAFE is the key component of VET, its base funding is diminishing, and

(iii)   a report by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research found that a 6 per cent funding increase did not match a 12 per cent increase in training and course delivery costs; and

(b)   calls on the Government to:

(i)   work to address the skills shortages by securing public funding for TAFE,

(ii)   rule out supporting a Higher Education Contribution Scheme-style university loans scheme for TAFE students,

(iii)   increase TAFE funding so it can continue to offer a broad range of high quality, diverse programs for all the community, and

(iv)   ensure the Ministerial Council of Tertiary Education and Employment commissions a review of VET since the competition policy was introduced.