Education unions are continuing a campaign against the Victorian Government’s plans to cut nearly $300 million from the state’s 18 TAFE institutes.

 

A protest rally was jointly organised by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) Victorian Division and the Australian Education Union (AEU) in central Melbourne on Thursday 2 August.
 
Colin Long, NTEU Victorian President, said that more details were emerging daily about the ramifications including job losses, a reduction in courses and increased fees. He said RMIT’s TAFE is slated to lose $20 million of its public funding, with over 150 jobs to go.
 
“RMIT started life as a ‘workingman’s’ college. These cuts are an attack on its fundamental purpose. They’re bad news for students, bad news for staff and bad, bad news for the future of Victoria.”
 
Yesterday’s rally was the fourth in a series of protests against the TAFE cuts being organised across Melbourne, culminating in a mass rally on Thursday, August 16 at the State Library.
 
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