TAFE fee rally

By Lia Bichel
ABOUT 100 outraged Dandenong students armed with protest signs will rally outside Parliament House today to vent their frustrations over rising TAFE fees.
The group of students, from a local TAFE welfare and human rights class, will argue that the TAFE skills reform process is preventing many people from attending post-secondary schools because of increased fees and that all Australians should have access to affordable education and training.
“The State Government’s changes to the TAFE system has seen fees double and triple for many government support places, and the low income concession rate is now almost non-existent, creating a barrier for those wishing to study at TAFE,” group member Michelle Saltmarsh said.
Fellow student Lauren Gill agreed.
She said the group was worried that the new fee implementation would discourage people from studying and said TAFE education was unattainable for many people struggling financially.
“To ensure all Australians have access to affordable education and training, TAFE fees need to be kept low and the government needs to abolish this new structure and work with the community in developing a more viable solution,” Ms Gill said.
But Skills and Workforce Participation Minister Bronwyn Pike said overall demand across Victoria’s TAFE systems was up this year with more people in training, which she said was what the recent reform process aimed to do.
“There are 1.6 million Victorians who don’t have any training post high school – and we want to re-engage those people with education,” she said.
“The new system introduces university-style loans, so students can study now, learn skills – and repay the cost of training when they are earning a good wage. We are making training more accessible to young people in Victoria.”
Members of the human rights class said they felt the need to voice their concerns to protect future generations.
“Our kids will be hit by these fees, and it will prevent many from going into a higher education,” student Kathy Edwards said.
Ms Saltmarsh, Ms Gill and Ms Edwards invited other students or members of the public to show their support and join the rally at 12pm in front of the Parliament House today (Thursday, 12 August).