A E U h e a d o f f i c e 1 1 2 T r e n e r r y C r e s c e n t , A b b o t s f o r d 3 0 6 7 T e l : 0 3 9 4 1 7 2 8 2 2 F a x : 1 3 0 0 6 5 8 0 7 8 W e b : w w w . a e u v i c . a s n . a u

SUPPLEMENT TO THE AEU NEWS • JULY 2013

TAFENEWSLETTER

VENUE VICTORIA UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE CENTRE Level 12, 300 Flinders Street, Melbourne (opposite Flinders Street station)

REGISTRATION Conference is free for AEU members – fully catered Registration is essential – Please email ann.dettenberg@aeuvic.asn.au

CLOSING DATE AUGUST 21

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: KURT FEARNLEYKurt Fearnley is a world champion wheelchair athlete with a can do attitude that makes the impossible possible. His infectious energy and passion for life inspires and motivates audiences across age groups and communities.• Three-time Gold medal Paralympian• Six-time World Champion• Commonwealth Athlete of the Year with a Disability• 2009 NSW Young Australian of the Year

TAFE, DISABILITY & AMESConference

Thursday August 29, 2013

Public Adult Education: LifeLoNG & LifeWiDe

Victorian University Convention Centres are available for corporate, government and private events. Tel: 9919 1012 email: ccentre.city@vu.edu.au

Greg Barclay vice president, TAFE and adult provision

IN A highly cynical move to try and hide the evidence of damage this

Government has done to TAFE and VET provision across the state, the Napthine Government tried to blame computer problems for not releasing the first quarterly data results for 2013

until the final hours of the last sitting of Parliament.

The results of the first quarter outcomes for VET in Victoria showed that there has been a massive drop of between 7% and 9% in enrolments in just 12 months.

There is reason to believe that the numbers are far worse than this when the issue of Foundation Studies enrol-

ments are taken into account.It has been recently reported that

the Gordon used Foundation Studies enrolments to undertake staff develop-ment, and there are many other discrepancies that call the Founda-tion Studies numbers into doubt. All student cohorts that would normally be expected to be enrolled in Founda-tion Studies units dropped in the first

quarter (with the exception of Koorie students) but enrolments have increased overall by 42% this year. This is on the back of an increase of over 140% last year.

Even the Government has recently acknowledged that the inappropriate use of Founda-tion Studies enrolments across the entire VET system may be widespread.

If the Foundation Level enrolments are removed from the figures, the downturn in enrolments across the system is closer to 14%, which is more consistent with individual reports. Victoria University has already been quoted as saying that it had budgeted for a 25% reduction in TAFE enrolments, but the figure has been even worse than this.

It is not surprising that the Government was keen to scurry away from public scrutiny of the evidence that their reforms are continuing to damage TAFE and

the entire VET system.Some other results the Govern-

ment has not acknowledged in press releases include:

• Enrolmentsbyyoungpeoplewithout Year 12 down by 19%

• Traineesandapprenticesdownby 16%

• Diplomastudentsdownby17%• Olderstudentsdownby5%

• Studentswitha disability in Diplomalevel down by 19%• Secondary students doing VET subjects down by 16%.The most damning statistic — and

evidence of this Government's total disregard for the public TAFE system — shows that for the first time ever the public TAFE system is now respon-sible for less VET provision than the private-for-profit sector.

In 2008 the public TAFE system was responsible for around 75% of all VET delivery in Victoria. The first quarter results indicate that TAFE is now responsible for 45%, the private-for-profit sector for 47%, and Adult, Community and Further Education (ACFE) for 8%.

Premier Napthine has proclaimed that he is proud of the TAFE reforms. The state election in 2014 will be the time for the Victorian community to show Premier Napthine and Minister Hall how proud we are of their work. �

www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/training/providers/market/vtmqr12013.pdf

Latest stats show full damageThe State Government’s Quarterly Report confirms the massive drop in TAFE enrolments.

� For the first time ever, the public

TAFE system is now responsible for less VET provision than

the private-for-profit sector.�

2 TAFE newsletter | july 2013

Auditor General’s Report

IN the recently published Tertiary Education and OtherEntities:Resultsofthe2012Audits,the

Victorian Auditor General provided yet another clear assessment that the Coalition Government’s continued reliance on the Victorian Training Guarantee policy has been an abject failure and carrying the burden for this mismanagement are communities, students and our proud public TAFE institutions.

In just 12 months the financial viability of another three TAFEs has been assessed as having fallen and more at risk than a year ago.

This Coalition Government has undermined the public TAFE system to such a point that 10 out of the 14 stand-alone TAFEs have been assessed asbeingatmediumfinancialrisk.Dualsectoruniversities haven’t escaped the fiscal disaster, with the viability of Victoria University assessed as worsening over the past 12 months.

TAFEs in Victoria recorded a massive 31.9% fall in their combined surpluses in 2012 when compared to their 2011 results. This was attributed

to increased costs and the massive reductions in funding from government.

The Auditor General found that domestic students contributed an additional $7.7 million through increased fees to TAFE budgets and that TAFEs are now “…more reliant on student tuition fees for generating a major portion of their operating revenue”.

The report adds that:Changes in the funding model have resulted in

TAFEs cutting expenditure viewed as “non-essential” including construction of capital assets…The changes in the operating model and cuts in funding have had a significant impact on TAFEs. As well as reducing or changing course offerings, the sector has responded by making staff redundant, closing campuses to drive down costs and attempting to sell land and buildings.

Despitethesedamningresults,theAuditorGeneral notes that the Napthine Government is determined to continue its current approach and has reiterated its commitment to: …competitive

neutrality in the vocational training sector and is considering more flexible financing options for TAFEs. The Government stated that TAFE institutes will be required to demonstrate the capacity to operate commercially. �

AfullcopyoftheAuditorGeneral’sReportcanbefoundat www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports_and_publications/latest_reports/2012-13/20130529-tertiary-ed.aspx

Greg Barclay vice president, TAFE and adult provision

AS IS to be expected, the latest State of our TAFEs survey has overwhelmingly shown that TAFE

teachers have grave concerns for their students and the impact on their chances of accessing high-quality teaching and learning programs.

As TAFE institutes are forced to continue to look for “efficiencies” to cope with the government-imposed budget cuts, teachers are being asked to do more than ever and workloads are now totally out of control. The practice of “shaving hours” where monies are claimed from the Government for teaching not provided has escalated over the past 12 months.

TAFE teachers’ commitment to their students has been manipulated and exploited in the past, but what is happening now is totally unacceptable. Teachers are prepared to speak out in order to expose what is happening to the public TAFE system in Victoria.

Some of the key results from the survey follow:

Staffing cuts• 77%ofteachersreportedstaffcutsintheir

teaching area.Workloads

• 59%ofteacherssaidthattheirteachingworkloads have increased

• 92%ofteachersindicatedthattheiradminis-trative workloads have increased and are now “out of control”

• 64%ofteachersarereportingthattheareas they teach in have had delivery hours “shaved”, with an average 25% of delivery hours cut from all programs.

The net effect of this is that less teachers are being asked to do more work — at least 25% more teaching on top of their already heavy workloads.

Unsurprisingly, these workload demands are contributing to unhealthy workplaces, with 86% of those surveyed indicating that stress levels have increased in their institutes.

Teaching and learning quality• 82%ofteachersbelievethattheneedsof

students are no longer taken into account when programs and courses are designed.

• Anastounding91%ofteacherssurveyeddo not believe that students will be able to successfully complete their qualifications to the level required because of the funding cuts.

The AEU is currently analysing all the survey material and will release the findings as part of an integrated campaign to inform the community of the ongoing impacts of this Government’s failure to invest in the public TAFE system and the threat this poses to the provision of quality education and training in Victoria.

Members who believe that they are being asked to work outside the conditions in the MBA should contact their local AEU sub-branch or the AEU Membership Services Unit on (03) 9417 2822 to get advice on what to do next. �

State of TAFEThe annual AEU survey of TAFE teachers confirms the Coalition’s reform agenda continues to undermine the integrity of the VET system and the professionalism of TAFE teachers.

AG’s Report shows Napthine cuts put TAFEs at risk.

“ We are proud of our reforms to TAFE.”Premier Denis Napthine, in response to a question about TAFE funding at the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee

www.aeuvic.asn.au 3

AEU members stand up for TAFE

ON THE 21 March2013theHouseofRepre-sentatives Federal Parliament asked the House

Standing Committee on Education and Employment to inquire into the role of the Technical and Further Education system and its operation in Australia.

Invitations for written submissions were called for and the Committee received an unprecedented 1,200 written submissions on TAFE in Australia.

With TAFE systems across Australia under sustained attacks from various governments of all political persuasions, it is obvious that the future of TAFE in Australia is something that many people and organisations are keen to become involved with.

As part of the inquiry the Standing Committee established two public hearings to take further submissions on the role of TAFE, one in Canberra and the other in Brisbane.

TAFE in Victoria has long been held up as the example of what not to do to a public TAFE system and we had two TAFE councillors fly up to the Brisbane public hearing to present witness state-ments on the Victorian experience to the committee.

AngelaDiSciasciofromtheGordonandPhillipSmith from Gipps TAFE spoke passionately in support of public TAFE and students in Victoria and presented many examples of the destruction that is being perpetrated on the public system in our state.

TAFE teachers and students have no more committed and passionate advocates than Angela and Phillip.

It remains to be seen what recommendations the Committee presents to Parliament when it reports back in the future. The commitment of AEU members to stand up and fight for their public TAFEs has

continued throughout 2013, and the AEU at both the state and federal levels have joined forces to continue to campaign and fight for the public TAFE system in Victoria and across Australia.

You can join this national action by logging onto the following sites: AEU Victorian TAFE4ALL Campaign at tafe4all.org.au and the Federal AEU Campaign StopTAFEcuts at stoptafecuts.com.au. �

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Angela Di Sciascio from the Gordon and Phillip Smith from GippsTAFE (second and third from left) represented Victoria in an AEU delegation to the public hearings into TAFE.

Victorian TAFE teachers were among the passionate advocates for TAFE at a public hearing into Further Education.

4 TAFE newsletter | july 2013

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Large institutions would like you to believe that preparation for retirement involves no more than finding a cheap super fund, investing your lump sum and leaving the rest to them. Nothing could be further from the truth.A well constructed financial strategy considers your personal income and capital needs over carefully defined planning periods. It should also address issues of taxation, social security entitlements and finally investment issues. In some cases it is wise to recognise and incorporate the need for Aged Care planning.Unless the planning is comprehensive you may deny yourself additional benefits and inadvertently add to the underlying cost of retirement. RV is the preferred provider of financial advice for AEU members for sound reasons.Why not book a free, no obligation first appointment to tell us about your objectives and how you intend to enjoy retirement. We can help you get there as we have with some thousands of other AEU members over the last two decades.

TODAY is a sad day, and this week is a sad week and

the end of an era for Koorie Education in Gippsland: no longer a Koorie-specific unit that has given people in our community wings to fly.

It started 23 years ago in 1990 at Yallourn Campus where my family went to TAFE. My younger sister was the manager of the Koorie Unit long beforeDorisPatoncamehere,Doristakingoverwhen my sister shifted to Queensland.

The Koorie Unit was restructured, so there were four teachers who had to apply for a 0.4 (2-day position). We chose not to go up against one another; I was not going to compete with my daughter or with Christine (Minnie) Johnson, who I have always known, for the job at only two days, andAndrewDaltonleftonJune7.

The Koorie Unit catered for some of our most disadvantaged in our community: our disengaged youth, the Stolen Generation, those trying to find their way back to the community, those who wanted further education. We accepted all, no matter what their age or what was going on in their life. It was an opportu-nity for many who didn’t get this in their mainstream education and thus from the Koorie Unit we have grown great role models. I am going to take this time to remind us why the Koorie Unit is important and vital and why it should be here for our community.

GippsTAFE is — or was — the only institute in the whole of Victoria to offer a course assisting Aboriginal people to reclaim and revive their Aboriginal languages, which I have been doing here in Gippsland for over 25 years. We had many non-Aboriginal people contacting the Unit for support with their studies or cultural awareness, or teachers wanting knowledge and support when teaching their classes at school.

There is still much to do as the Australian Curriculum is beginning to be rolled out and Aborig-inal perspectives are a key priority for teachers to embed into their curriculum. Also, Aboriginal Languages are going to be fully supported. I have done my work with VCAA (Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority), working in getting Aboriginal Language into the Victorian Curriculum and the P-10 Aboriginal Languages & Cultures standards are based on my many years of teaching Aboriginal Languages out in schools, kindergartens and childcare centres across Gippsland.

I have been involved with reviving and teaching Aboriginal Languages for over 25 years and recently completed my Masters in Education, writing about the journey with my Elders and community.

GippsTAFE has had the privilege of Aboriginal Languages being part of the Koorie Unit since 2006, and I had 17 graduates from all over Victoria one year, which was the biggest graduation in the Koorie Unit. We had other Koorie students graduate

that year, and many Elders and community came to support people.

It is sad because I had my school, Woolum Bellum, close at the end of 2012 due to funding cuts, and my position as Leading Teacher there is gone. I was comforted that at least I had an ongoing position at the Koorie Unit in Koorie Education and was enrolling many of my students from schools into GippsTAFE.

Well, now might be a good time for me to go on the “Walkabout” that people misunderstand the significance and purpose of. But it is a spiritual and emotional healing and wellbeing journey, which is needed to renew spirit, mind and soul, and mine is not fairing too good at the moment.

I feel I have let down my Elders, my community, and my future young ones by not having a supportive place for them to complete their educa-tional journey, doing it our way and in our time. But we are always against the system.

I will gather myself for another adventure, as I am a teacher here for my community so that they can achieve their aspirations and there will be something somewhere. I just need to tell myself that this is a hard place I am at this moment.

So this is yerrabee. �

LynnetteSolomon-DentisaLeadingTeacherworkinginGippsland. This is an edited version of her letter published on the TAFE4All website: www.tafe4all.org.au.

GippsTAFE Koorie Unit gave community WINGS TO FLYTAFE teacher Lynnette Solomon-Dent laments the end of an era for Koorie education in Gippsland.