27 June, 2000

A three-year Federal funding freeze to TAFE has cut teacher contact time and threatened the quality of education and training for students, TAFE teachers warned today.

The teachers, represented by the Australian Education Union’s TAFE division, have delivered an ultimatum to state government ministers to take a stand and force the Federal Government to give TAFE a fair funding deal.

The action by TAFE teachers comes as relevant state ministers are preparing to meet Federal Minister David Kemp in Melbourne on Friday (30 June) to discuss TAFE funding for 2001 to 2003.

Federation’s Assistant General Secretary for Post School Education, Phil Bradley said the immediate future of a viable TAFE system was in the balance and would

be determined by the outcome of Friday’s meeting and another meeting on 17 November.

Mr Bradley said that, for the past three years, TAFE had suffered a Federal funding freeze under the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) Agreement 1998-2000.

"This Agreement has resulted in less teacher contact and lower education standards for students."

"If the Federal Government is serious about vocational education and training, the funding freeze must end."

Mr Bradley said that the Australian Education Union had produced an alternative ANTA Agreement for 2001-2003 to provide a sounder basis for education and training throughout Australia.

"We know that Dr Kemp wants to freeze Federal funding for a further three years and we will present our ANTA Agreement to state ministers."

"The AEU ANTA Agreement will also be publicised as widely as possible to inform Australians of the need to reverse the disastrous direction in which the Federal Government is moving education and training in Australia."

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