Christine Milne hits Ballarat to-morrow - TAFE topix at University of Ballarat in the day' Food policy at St Anne's Winery at night.

From John Stanger:

Hello fellow education advocates!

Meet Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne in Ballarat tomorrow as she meets with students and staff at Ballarat University as part of the Greens’ campaign to stop Labor’s $2.8 billion cuts to universities.  

The Greens have offered the following funded and costed policies for the election so far:

Prioritise TAFE: $1.2 billion TAFE rescue package that is quarantined for TAFE, not private providers: http://www.greens.org.au/TAFE
Investing in Universities: reverse Labor's $2.3 billion uni cuts and increase base funding per student by 10% http://greens.org.au/investing-universities
More school funding sooner: An extra $2 billion over the forward estimates on top of the government's $3 billion to help bring public schools up to the Schooling Resource Standard sooner. Additional funding will be directed to where it is needed most, including better assistance for kids with a disability: http://greens.org.au/school-funding

It's a rare chance to meet the Australian Greens leader Christine Milne here in Ballarat and you're all invited!

Join Christine for her media conference followed by a chance to chat and hear more:

WHO: Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne and the candidate for Ballarat Stephanie Hodgins-May and Ballarat University students.

WHERE: Library courtyard at Ballarat University, Mt Helen Campus

WHEN: 12.15pm TOMORROW Thursday 22 August

FOLLOWED BY: 12:30-1:30pm informal meet and greet with Christine Milne in The Hub Bistro, Albert Coates Building, UB Mt Helen campus.

If that's not enough, feel free to join Christine Milne, Senator Richard Di Natale and Stephanie Hodgins-May to Celebrate Australian Food with a free event at St Anne's Winery in Myrniong. 6:30pm, light food and a complimentary drink (local of course) provided.

Here's the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/557787730947181/?fref=ts

RSVP for the Celebration of Australian Food by email to: foodplanrsvp@vic.greens.org.au

Thank you, apologies for the partisan post but the intention is to connect with you and bring us together rather than spruik the Greens.

Hope you can join us,

Jon Stanger

0415 755 181

Write to Ted & his Tearaways re TAFE cuts - here's the contact details

Sarah Bardsley posted in Save Our TAFE Community Action Group - Gippsland Sarah Bardsley 2 October 15:25 If you haven't already, why not tap out an email or pen a letter to your local member/s and the Premier, to let them know how you feel about the TAFE Cuts. Please spread the word and remember - Your voice counts Ted Baillieu Premier office #: (03) 9651 5000 Electoral office #: (03) 9882 4088 Email Address ted.baillieu@parliament.vic.gov.au Peter Hall State office #: (03) 9637 3300 Electoral office #: (03) 51 747066 For electorate matters email: peter.hall@parliament.vic.gov.au For ministerial matters email: peter.hall@minstaff.vic.gov.au Peter Ryan http://www.peterryan.com.au/contact-us Phone: 5144 1987 Electorate Office: 54B Cunninghame Street, SALE 3850 Tim Bull Email: tim.bull@parliament.vic.gov.au Mail: PO Box 1278, Bairnsdale, Victoria, 3875. Electorate Office: 143 Main Street, Bairnsdale, Victoria, 3875. Phone: (03) 5152 3491 Tell them how you feel about the TAFE CUTS www.peterryan.com.au

Baillieu Bungles in Ballarat - stonewalling on TAFEs translates to false assumptions and arrogance

THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE BALLARAT'S TAFE

FROM DESTRUCTION AT THE HANDS OF

THE BAILLIEU GOVERNMENT CONTINUES.

The Premier was greeted by campaigners for TAFE BALLARAT when he attended a business breakfast at Alexandra's on Lydiard Street this morning.

Baillieu's Breakfast

Protesters outside Alexandra's on Lydiard

where 75 guests were expected -

but less than that number was observed in attendance

Some of those in attendance (collage)

Ballarat Student want’s apology 

from arrogant, out of touch Premier

Ballarat Student Ann Healey was one of the SAVE TAFE protestors who got up very early this morning to meet Premier Baillieu as he arrived in Ballarat to speak at the Ballarat BisNet Breakfast at the Alexandria on Lydiard Street.

The quiet and peaceful protest was to highlight, once again, the damage TAFE cuts are doing to Ballarat’s social and economic future and provide the Premier with an opportunity to stop for just a few moments and talk about his motivations for slashing VET and TAFE.

After saying a friendly good morning to the other attendees as they headed upstairs to hear from the Premier about his vision for the state, the Premier arrived.

Ann in a very friendly manner extended her hand to Mr Baillieu, wishing him a good morning and asked if he would like to talk about the TAFE cuts for a few moments before heading upstairs.

Instead of a jovial response or a good morning in reply, the arrogant and out of touch Premier pocketed his hands and displayed his lack of understanding and any sort of decency or manners by accusing her of being an “electorate officer,”  then arrogantly sweeping past with a smug grin at his own misplaced and inappropriate joke.

The Premier's misdirected joke however was at his own expense as Ann is a student and now wants an apology from the out of touch Premier who accused her of being nothing more than a political operative, denying and belittling her voice and her passion to save TAFE and tertiary education so others can have the opportunities she has had.

 

Ann does not belong to a political party and has never worked as an ‘electorate officer,’ but as a student is only too aware about what these cuts mean.

Once again the Premier is failing to recognise the issues affecting TAFE and unwilling to even spend a moment speaking about them with those affected.

The sheer arrogance of the Premier was on display this morning to the protestors, some media and guests who were arriving.

Yet another smug one liner that is becoming the hallmark of an out of touch Premier with no ideas.

Mr Baillieu obviously thinks that the large movement of SAVE TAFE protestors across country Victoria is nothing more than an orchestrated politically motivated movement that is all about him.  

He could not be more wrong, the movement is growing, it’s concerns shared with groups like AIG, VFF, the TAFE Association and VECCI who are only too aware of the damage these cuts will do to the future of skills and opportunities in the state.

When asked at the Breakfast upstairs what his vision for the state was, the Premier, unlike his quick quip at Ann was left struggling to articulate any passion or conviction.

Once again the need for the Victorian community to speak out against these cuts is highlighted, we cannot all possibility be electoral officers can we?

Ballarat SAVE TAFE Committee

For further information please contact

Brett Edgington

Secretary – Ballarat SAVE TAFE Committee

0412 152 567

iamtheedge@live.com.au

University of Ballarat VET and TAFE Cuts

·       43 Courses cut

·       3 schools cut – from 7 to 4

·       Approximately 100 jobs from teachers and support staff lost

·       2200 student places per year less

·       $20 million dollars a year cut from University of Ballarat’s Budget

·    Fee increases in remaining courses of up to 600% to cover the loss of “Full Service Provider Funding”

·      The Brewery Complex Building sold to School of Mines in 1994 to facilitate TAFE growth, closed to TAFE and leased out

·       Plans to consolidate land titles to start leasing and selling of more campus space – potential for TAFE city presence to become only the Trade Training Centre and new Skills Centre

JOIN THE FIGHT FOR TAFES

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE CAMPAIGN

ACROSS VICTORIA

TAFE4ALL

Ballarat SAVE TAFE Campaign

Campaign against the TAFE cuts (CATS)

Save Our TAFE Community Action Group - Gippsland

TAFE Cuts Ballarat

 [ I am sure there are other protest sites about

regarding TAFE.  If you wish your site to be added

please email me at misseaglesnetwork(at)gmail(dot)com ]

TAFE funding cuts fail regional communities. The Victorian Govt should put locals first.

It's not only here in Ballarat that a storm is being kicked up within the community over the Baillieu Governments cutting of TAFE funding ... to the point that TAFEs are endangered.  The material below has been placed on the Save our Tafe - Gippsland Facebook site by Sarah Bardsley.

~~~~~

What do the Gippsland TAFE CUTS 
mean for our community?

The Baillieu Government’s cuts to TAFE funding will make it harder for our whole Gippsland community to access quality education and training – both physically and financially.

Many State and Federal government studies have been undertaken on Gippsland, investigating and addressing solutions to combat; unemployment, forecast closures of major employers in the power industry (reskilling people) and on the low level of youth engagement in education at both secondary and post-secondary levels, and on supporting our vulnerable (indigenous, disability and new Australians) with engaging within our community. 

All of these reports talk about the need to engage youth in training and developing a skilled workforce in areas of skills shortages.  Funding for many of these course areas have been significantly cut and are only available if training providers (TAFEs) high fees.  Additionally the recurrent funding that has been cut disadvantages the vulnerable, as there will no longer be services to support them with their studies.

These cuts and the removal of VET training courses in Gippsland, if not reversed, will deliver negative impacts for generations to come, through contributing to greater hardship for our community and for our young people and our vulnerable.  It is likely that inaccessibility to affordable, quality vocation education and training will result in escalating unemployment and disengaged people across our community.

The government keeps saying that they are putting $1.2billion back into training, however this is not for TAFEs this is for all RTO’s – including the private providers - some of whom acted unethically and created the budget blowout that Mr Hall, Mr Baillieu and their colleagues keep talking about. 

Our community deserves this Essential Service!

The FACTS on Gippslands TAFEs:

·         $16.5M cuts have been made to Gippsland’s TAFEs!

·         Significant fee increases for most courses – up to 80%

·         Gippsland’s TAFEs have been misrepresented. 

Mr Peter Hall and other members of the Liberal / Coalition parties have been defending their aggressive cuts to TAFE - a 30% reduction in Government Recurrent Funding – are due to these “massive cost blowouts”.

Mr Hall and his peers have said publically that “Training enrolments increased by 44%, but not always in areas of economic need or with good prospective job outcomes, e.g. courses to train fitness instructors have increased 1,955% since 2008.”

However the State-wide figures misrepresent the actual reality for Gippsland’s TAFEs and the VET sector.

The STATE government’s Victorian Training Market Quarterly Report Q1 2012 from 2008 to 2011, documents a decline in enrolments for Gippsland TAFEs of 5%, this was also mirrored for private RTOs in our region.  And in 2011 Gippsland’s TAFE student enrolments grew by only 2% (Table 2.16, p26) - thus the quoted increases to enrolments have not taken place in our Gippsland region. 

The reasons TAFEs had to cut specific course

is due to the cuts in State funding. A sample is shown below:

Qualification Name	2012-13 Subsidy $	Reduction in Funding $
Certificate II in Process Manufacturing	1.50	-9.68
Certificate III in Hospitality	1.50	-7.49
Diploma of Hospitality	2.00	-5.04
Advanced Diploma of Hospitality	3.00	-4.04
Diploma of Employment Service	2.50	-3.13
Certificate IV in Sport and Recreation	1.50	-8.39
Certificate III in Events	1.50	-7.49
Certificate III in Business Administration, Retail and Business	1.50	-5.69
Diploma of Management and Retail Management	1.50	-4.13
Diploma of Supply Chain and Logistics Management	4.50	-3.95
Diplomas of Business, Business Administration, Human Resources Management and Project Management	2.00	-3.63

Full list is available from the SAVE Our TAFE Community Action Group – Gippsland.

Results of cuts so far

·       100 courses cancelled many in areas of skills shortage as identified by the STATE   and Federal Governments reports*

·       More than 8 campuses closed or to be closed - five are Outreach Centres serving communities that are remote - such as Mallacoota, Orbost, Buchan and local townships of Yarram and Heyfield.

As our public transport is so poor, there are few options for those that don’t drive or are unable to use or own a car – which is the case for many of our young people – who go to TAFE.

·       Over 100 Staff job have been or are about to be lost– which has significant impacts for our communities.

Save TAFE at the University of Ballarat from death by a million Baillieu cuts. Petition and rally info here.

Sign the Save TAFE Ballarat petition here.

The Legislative Assembly of Victoria 

will be sitting in Ballarat on Thursday 

at the Mount Helen Campus of the University of Ballarat.  

Attend the Save TAFE Ballarat rally. 

Buses will be running to and from the City Centre.

 For more nformation please go here.

Related articles

• Rally to Save Ballarat Tafe - Thursday 6 September 1pm
• SAVE TAFES FROM TED'S CUTS - Actions continue to build across Victoria
• TAKE IT TO TED: Join the campaign wherever you are in Victoria to save TAFEs.
• Will this coalition survive?

Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar

July 18, 2012

Public meeting Degrees of debt: Student revolt in Quebec Tuesday, July 24, 6:30pm. Old Council Chambers, Trades Hall, cnr Victoria & Lygon Sts, Carlton South. International guest speaker: Guillaume Legault, a leader of CLASSE, the main organisation representing Quebec's striking students. Post-secondary students in Quebec, Canada, began a massive strike in February against a proposed 75% increase in tuition fees. Massive protests are continuing despite a draconian new law to crush protests and the student associations. Also speaking will be Colin Long, Victorian secretary, National Tertiary Education Union. In Australia, Victorian TAFE campuses are being slashed with hundreds of courses being axed, centres closed and student fees jumping to over $10,000 for many courses. University campuses are also experiencing cutbacks. This is a part of the neo-liberal project to privatise or slash public services in the interest of big business. Meanwhile profit-oriented private education institutions are flourishing. Organised byGreen Left Weekly & Resistance. For more info ph 9639 8622.

Public meeting Malaysia: Hellhole for refugees Tuesday, July 31, 6:30pm (meal from 6pm). Resistance Centre, level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). The mainstream politicians and media have closed ranks to present offshore processing of asylum seekers as the only 'solution' to the 'problem' of refugees. Any discussion about what life is like in Malaysia for refugees and asylum seekers has vanished from the media. The speaker will present the facts about what life is really like for refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia. International guest speaker:Chon Kai Choo, a leader of the Socialist Party of Malaysia. Organised by Socialist Alliance & Resistance. For more info ph 9639 8622.

A night of fun & politics Green Left Weekly's 2012 Trivia Nite Saturday, August 18; doors open 6:30pm. MUA Hall, 46-54 Ireland St, West Melbourne (near North Melbourne railway station). Fun & politics: prizes, games, raffles, auctions, table quizzes . . . Plus launch of new online media project Green Left TV.The revolution will be televised! Food & bar available. Organise a table of 6-10 or just bring yourself and/or a few friends and join one of our tables. Tickets: $30 solidarity, $20 waged, $10 concession. Book online at GLW Trivia Nite or call 9639 8622. A fundraiser for Green Left Weekly.

This is the regular Melbourne activist calendar compiled by Green Left Weekly. Emailed to subscribers each Wednesday fortnight, it is a one-stop listing of the main left and progressive events in Melbourne and Geelong. Since it began in early 1991, Green Left Weekly has offered an indispensable alternative to the lies of the big-business media and has helped build the various movements for social change. To subscribe to Green Left Weekly, visit our secure online website for rates and payment at Green Left Weekly or call our national hotline on 1800 634 206. You can also contact us at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City; ph 9639 8622. In Geelongwe are at the Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4.30pm, Fri 10am-4.30pm); ph 5222 6900. New email address? Not already receiving this calendar regularly? Want to subscribe someone else? Let us know at Greenleft Melbourne.

Save our TAFEs! Metropolitan rallies

Metropolitan TAFE rallies Save our TAFEs! This schedule may be subject to change) Visit TAFE 4 All for more info. Tuesday, July 24. 12pm. The Rotunda, Victoria University, Nicholson St campus, Footscray Wednesday, July 25. Chisholm TAFE, Dandenong Wednesday, July 25. Chisholm TAFE, Frankston Thursday, July 26. Holmesglen TAFE, Chadstone Thursday, July 26 Kangan TAFE, Broadmeadows Tuessday, July 31 Box Hill TAFE, Elgar Rd Wednesday, August 1. William Angliss TAFE Wednesday, August 1. NMIT, Preston Thursday, August 2. RMIT, Melbourne Thursday, August 2. Swinburne TAFE, Hawthorn Thursday, August 8. Save Our Swinburne Campaign Committee invites the entire Outer Eastern community to come together & rally in support of saving Swinburne at Lilydale. 12 noon. Lilydale campus. Thursday, August 16. Victorian statewide rally. 12pm. Parliament, cnr Spring & Bourke Sts, City.

Rally for Public Education and Training and against the cutting down of TAFE education

Picture from here NO TAXATION WITHOUT EDUCATION! EDUCATION IS ANATHEMA TO CONSERVATISM! FOR AN EDUCATED PERSON WILL NOT BE A SLAVE! MEETING ON  SUNDAY JULY 8 2pm PEOPLE'S TRADES HALL, CAMP STREET, BALLARAT TO FORM A COMMITTEE OF INTERESTED AND PASSIONATE PEOPLE  TO ADVOCATE FOR AFFORDABLE AND EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION AND TRAINING DOWN WITH THE ATTACK ON  PUBLIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING TAFE CUTS VET CUTS VCAL CUTS EMA CUTS  AND ATTACKS ON STUDENTS AND TEACHERS