Ms BADGER (Lyons) – Honourable Speaker, the situation unfurling at TasTAFE is extremely disturbing and is only made worse with further uncertainty for TasTAFE’s future under the government’s new Trumpian blueprint privatisation agenda. Workplace morale is already low with staff on stress leave. We have been told of many taking out bullying complaints and alleged unfair dismissal.
On Seek, reviews for work at TasTAFE paint a concerning picture. Overall, it has received 1.9 star rating out of five. To quote some of those reviews:
- A very unethical employer
- A toxic workplace
- Lack of investment in modern teaching resources
- Lack of involvement with industry
- Complaints covered up
- Lack of leadership in the organisation.
The toxic workplace is widely known throughout Tasmania. This is shameful and we have to amend it. We understand that half of the automotive teachers risk losing their jobs, including two of the three electrical teachers. That is seriously concerning because vehicle electrical is a specialist area. Teachers in this space are hard to come by. Professionals generally get paid a lot more working in the industry than they do training the experts of the future. In a world of rapid internal combustion to electric vehicle transition, why on earth would any electrical technician be considered in any possible cuts? This move is completely out of touch. It shows the divide between the industry and the rapid cuts in the training sector. This is off the back of multiple incidents at Campbell Street.
The Tasmanian government should have stepped up and they should have planned for a state-of-the-art facility. The Campbell Street centre has been aged for quite some time so progressive planning should have begun some time ago. Here was a chance for an automotive centre of excellence for contemporary accessible EV training courses.
Now with the closure of Campbell Street in the south, apprentices have to go north for training. In Question Time, the minister pointed to the trade training centres as an option here in the south, but these were set up for pre-employment training. When was all the necessary equipment for training apprentices installed there, minister?
Also in Question Time, the minister made some laughable claims about there being more apprentices in the north than the south. No kidding, right now, because there is nowhere for them in the south. Rest assured, there are plenty of apprentices down here and, most importantly, the businesses that need them in the south of the state. We have examples of apprentices down here who were given just three days’ notice to go for their TAFE block training in the north. Three days for them to find the transport. These are young adults, some as young as 16 years old, but most pressingly, this was three days’ notice for employees for their businesses to change their plans, to alter in-booked services and to inform their customers.
Then there is this proposed move to streamline to the VACC delivery model, a model that has not been broadly asked for by the industry, not by employers and not by the students themselves. It appears it is purely only a budget-saving measure fast-tracked by the Campbell Street flooding incident. This reduces the time that apprentices spend training at TAFE in a controlled, safe learning environment with experienced teachers, and it puts the training load onto the employer. Training in a specialty facility with appropriate learning and supporting tools at hand is absolutely critical. We do not want to just say apprentices head out and start rebuilding brakes on a public member’s car first when there should be options in place in an appropriate facility.
I can absolutely vouch this does happen. I began my training in automotive in such a facility before going on to Campbell Street, where it was far more controlled and the public had a lot more confidence in what was happening. We have to have these facilities available.
What does this bungled move mean for course completion rates? Are we going see people in the south simply not be able to complete their apprenticeships? This is certainly not the right road to travel to future proof and involve training for the Tasmanian automotive industry when we are moving forward. To be clear, automotive is just one important sector of TasTAFE. This is the hub for the future trades, critical care workers for those who compose an important part of Tasmania’s economy.
It was disappointing that the news of TasTAFE’s CEO departure was in the headlines in Victoria over a week before it was news here. What are the recruitment processes from here? Noting that under the TasTAFE act, the board must consult with the minister before making an appointment. This is a minister who looks to be making cheap measures instead of long term planning. This is a minister who has seen the 30-month statutory independent review of the implementation of the TasTAFE (Skills and Training Business) Act 2021. It has not even begun, all while VET student numbers are dropping and the Liberals still have not hired 100 extra TAFE teachers as they promised to in 2021.
This is unacceptable and it is shameful. We must have transparency around TasTAFE. The legislatively required independent review must commence, and the minister must rule out privatising TasTAFE. Most importantly, he must rule out any forced redundancies or job cuts.
