Further cuts to TAFE funding are on the cards this year says Keira MP Ryan Park, with government documents unearthed by NSW Labor revealing plans for $53.23 million worth of redundancies and restructuring.
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Mr Park said the Treasury documents followed numerous cuts made by the NSW Government since 2012, which have seen nearly 6000 jobs lost, multiple courses axed and soaring fees across the state.
He said the figure suggested that another 600 teachers could lose their positions statewide, which was over 10 per cent of the current workforce.
The Illawarra in particular had been hit hard over the past five years.
“We have already seen Dapto campus shut down, what next?” Mr Park said.
“Here in the Illawarra we have chronically high youth unemployment and industries that are facing skilled shortages. Now is the time we should be investing in TAFE not cutting it to the bone.”
In a statement Assistant Minister for Skills Adam Marshall said TAFE NSW had an “incredibly strong presence” in the Illawarra.
“(The government’s) efforts have resulted in the creation of 402 permanent positions across the state,” he said.
