Wollongong West TAFE is also in line for a partial sale of its campus

The explosive information is contained in a document marked ‘‘cabinet in confidence’’, seen by Fairfax Media, and which shows the list of campuses across NSW earmarked for sale to raise $63 million to fund a shortfall in the IT budget.

The document lists the price tag for the sale of the whole Dapto site as $2.07 million and the  sale of Wollongong West’s ‘‘surplus facilities and land’’ could recoup an estimated $1.33 million.

The future of Dapto became shrouded in mystery this year after it stopped taking enrolments and staff began to be redistributed to other TAFE sites.

The government remained tight-lipped on the site’s future but no mention of any sale had been made.

The document states the full or partial sale of the TAFE sites would occur in this financial year and return $63 million.

TAFE has been plagued by a blowout in the cost of a $576 million IT administration system known as Learning Management and Business Reform (LMBR). Skills Minister John Barilaro has admitted to Parliament the IT system failed during the January enrolment period.

Asked about the list of sites for sale Mr Barilaro said: ‘‘TAFE NSW regularly reviews its assets to ensure they provide the best resources for students and teachers.’’ 

The NSW government would invest in ‘‘online learning capabilities –not the LMBR system’’, Mr Barilaro said.

‘‘Businesses and students want a blended learning environment because they provide job pathways for students and deliver options to study online or offsite with industry partners,’’ he said.

Shellharbour MP Anna Watson blasted the government over the sell-off.

“I’ve been warning the community of Dapto and West Dapto – population growth centres – for the last five years that this is what the State Government planned to do with the Dapto TAFE campus,’’ Ms Watson said.

“Every piece of information I’ve gathered over the five years on what they are ultimately planning for Dapto TAFE has had to be forced out of this Minister and the last one.

“They systematically gutted Dapto TAFE with absolutely ruthless efficiency and laughed about it.’’

Other full TAFE sites to be sold include Vincentia, Chullora, Epping, Belrose, Scone, Maclean, Murwillumbah, Corowa, Narrandera and Grenfell.