I have just received an email from the TAFE Community Alliance.
This body is holding a Forum in Wollongong on Tuesday 21st May 11.00 am – 12.00 pm at Wollongong Council to raise awareness to cuts to TAFE and the impact of this on local communities.
The speakers are, Sharon Bird, Jozefa Sobski, Gordon Bradbery and Arthur Rorris.
It would be very good if you could support the efforts of the Alliance and the speakers by changing your lunch break on Tuesday 21st May if possible so you can attend this event.
For more information see attached document and please forward to others who may be interested in attending.
The last two weeks promised hope in restoring funding to arts in TAFE.
Firstly the NSW Government’s own Creative Industries Taskforce made one of its 46 recommendations, the reinstatement of funding to TAFE arts courses. The Taskforce recognised the importance of TAFE in achieving its vision of NSW being an internationally recognised creative and cultural centre. (see the report and comment via the online survey at http://engage.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/iap-creativeindustries)
The Sydney Morning Herald ran its most comprehensive news story yet on the art cuts and the Taskforce recommendation.
The visual arts peak body NAVA has taken up the campaign and is actively lobbying the government to include art courses on the list of 2014 courses to be subsidised.
And today the petition of 27000 signatures was tabled in NSW Parliament, by Carmel Tebbutt and acknowledged in the Parliament that this is one of the largest petitions lodged. There was a short debate, with Carmel Tebbutt and Nathan Rees from the ALP along with Jamie Parker from the Greens giving passionate speeches about why the funding should be restored.
But it became clear that this hope is yet to be realised. The government speakers offered nothing new – the cuts were the result of the financial crisis left by the ALP and visual arts, sculpture and ceramics have been cut because they have no job outcomes.
Yet the impact on the art schools is as predicted. The cuts have mainly hit rural areas (many smaller rural campuses are no longer running courses) and the most disadvantaged. In 2011 one third of students enrolled in creative arts came the most disadvantaged backgrounds and 60% of all students studied certificate level courses as a pathway higher level diplomas. A survey of colleges has found that certificate courses are largely a thing of the past (due to high fees and no VET Fee Help) and with them, access to disadvantaged students.
The government continues to have a head in the sands approach – waiting for the protest to fade away. Don’t let this happen. Please send another email to the Premier (office) and call on him to take up the Taskforce recommendation to reinstate funding.
As the NSW Government refuses to budge on the cuts to TAFE art, the impacts are already being felt, but the battle isn’t over yet.
The prices and arrangements for 2013 art courses in TAFE weren’t settled until mid December, which left only a few weeks for the TAFE art schools to promote their now “commercialised” courses.
As a result of the increased costs and the lack of promotion, it has been a struggle for art schools to attract new students. Meadowbank TAFE has been luckier than most, with a high percentage of students returning to complete their courses using VET Fee Help. But there has been half the number of new students, especially younger people out of high school.
This is because the new national curriculum has split the existing two-year Diploma course into a Certificate IV and then a Diploma. VET Fee Help is not available for Certificate courses, and many students straight from high school cannot afford up front fees of around $6000–8000 for a Certificate IV, so their pathway into art training is blocked. In a further blow to affordability, the number of hours making up a full time course have been halved to 16, which falls below the hours required for a student concession on public transport.
The sudden drop in student numbers will result in the loss of artist/teachers across the state. Already many part-time staff have lost all teaching hours and by the end of March it is likely that many art schools will be unable to maintain full time positions. Schools in rural and regional centres are likely to close. Disadvantage in rural and regional areas is again highlighted – there are few alternatives for studying even if people could afford the fees.
The campaign to reverse the decision will continue over coming months. The National Association of Visual Arts will develop an industry action group to coordinate pressure on both the Federal and NSW government to address the coming crisis in art education. On March 21, Carmel Tebutt will present the petitions as part of a debate in Parliament. We intend to have a rally at Parliament House to coincide with the debate.
We believe that there are strong economic, educational, social and cultural arguments to maintain TAFE art education courses. And that this fight can be won.
Meanwhile, keep collecting petition signatures (make sure people haven’t signed already and that they are able to vote in NSW) as because of the delay in the Parliamentary debate we can still add more signatures over the next six weeks (you can download the PDF file from https://dl.dropbox.com/u/23533130/Save%20TAFE%20Art%20Petition.pdf).
And if you always wanted to study art and are eligible for VET Fee Help , enrol in some of the best education you can get – it might just save an art school near you!
The Save Tafe Illawarra campaign is moving into collaboration with NSWTF reps, John Kaye & Illawarra Greens party, South Coast Labour Council, and the Save Our Port campaign. As part of this collaboration an information stall highlighting the cuts to education has been proposed to run at the Wollongong Australia Day celebrations in Osborne Park, Wollongong.
We are asking for volunteers to help out for a couple of hours (or more) on Saturday – morning or afternoon – handing out leaflets about the TAFE cuts and privatisation plans and getting people to sign petitions. If you can help out please reply with your contact details, esp email addresses and phone numbers, we can email the location info and put you on a roster.
I realise this is short notice, but we only just got the go ahead for the event. Any help at all would be appreciated.
We are coming across a lot of confusion and misinformation surrounding VET Fee Help eligibility.
I have heard reports of people being told they aren’t eligible if they study part time, or because they are too old, or because they lack the means the pay the loan back. People on disability pensions being told they would not be eligible.
We have even come up against the stone wall of bureaucracy with TAFE saying "they don’t administer so don’t have to give us any information".
I know many of you, like me, don’t need the extra stress or worry so I have done the research, read the book and even phoned the Study Assist Hotline to double check my facts.
What it comes down to is this - the ONLY requirements for access to VET Fee Help for an approved "full fee for service" course are Australian Citizenship or permanent humanitarian visa holder, and a Tax File Number.
That’s it.
Study Assist said they do not discriminate for age, income level or type, ability to repay, disability or any other circumstance that people may have been told is a reason they would not qualify.
There is no age limit – you could be 16 or 66. It doesn’t matter.
There is no means or income testing – You could be on Austudy, disability pension, age pension, unemployment benefits, youth allowance, a retirement pension, living off your superannuation, working full time, working part time, living off investments, dependent on a family member or any combination of income sources. It doesn’t matter.
You may never earn enough to pay the loan back – It doesn’t matter because future ability to repay the loan is not a requirement of being eligible for assistance.
Also your partner or family member’s incomes do not affect your eligibility for VET Fee Help.
Other debts do not affect your eligibility for VET Fee Help.
Previous Fee Help loans or other study do not affect your eligibility unless you have already met the the maximum limit for Fee Help. For 2013 that limit is $93,204
. You do not have to study full time. You can study part time, you can study one subject at a time – it doesn’t matter. As long as the course you are enrolling in is eligible for VET Fee Help assistance, you can study over one year or a few years. You will only be borrowing the amount to cover the individual subjects you are doing in a particular year, not the whole course.
Your VET Fee Help debt will not be passed on to your partner or children. If you die with your debt outstanding, a compulsory repayment may be taken out of your final tax return when all your outstanding income and assets etc are finalised after your death if your final income is high enough, but basically your debt dies with you. You will not be burdening your family with a debt later on if you choose to study now.
I hope that clears up some of the biggest confusions that seem to be circulating about VET Fee Help.
Right now though, if you are returning to TAFE next year all you need to do is start the application process for your course.
You only need to apply for VET Fee Help when you accept your offer for a place on your chosen course. Hopefully by then the TAFE campuses that aren’t used to administering Fee Help will have more a clue of what they are doing.
We know this has been quite a trip we have been on over the past six weeks and the petition was successfully delivered to parliament today, but we need to keep the pressure on!
Send emails, letters and complaints to everyone you can – we still need to make lots more noise.
To participate send an email to the Premier and his fellow parliamentarians containing this week’s campaign poster.
Simply follow these steps:
1. Create a new message, with one of the below posters attached 2. copy and paste the list of emails of “honorable” (ha, ha), members of parliament, you will find a link containing these below or on our resource page 3. in your message, say a few words of why the TAFE cuts are a bad idea, eg……
because it will further disadvantage those in our community who are already disadvantaged
because it will reduce education and engagement opportunities for youth who need other options to school
because TAFE cuts through divides of age, gender, socio economic class, ethnicity and race to bring together community members in a way that no other place does
any other reason you believe TAFE is vital to vibrant communities
2. Insert the image at the bottom of the page
3. Send your emails to -
NSWgovEmail – list of NSW parliament representative email addresses
This week we are organising two major protests to bring home to government that they can’t stop funding art education in TAFE without consequences. We’re still astounded that the government can be so short-sighted and ill-informed about the work of artists and the importance of providing art education through TAFE.
The annual fees for 2013 are gradually being put up on TAFE websites: $8200 for an Advanced Diploma, $7700 for a Diploma and $4200 for a Certificate IV. A loans system will be in place for some students at Diploma/Advanced Diploma level, but not for those doing certificate courses that are the stepping-stones to the Diploma. Most students in rural areas are studying certificate courses, and these students are the least able to pay. The fee increase at little more than a month’s notice will quickly impact on the viability of art schools.
Please keep writing/leaving messages for your local member. We think this is the most effective way of having the government at least delay the change until 2014 – which would give art schools a chance to find ways of staying open and allow current students to complete courses.
Lunchtime Rally Wednesday 14 November
Tomorrow we are rallying outside Parliament House, forming a human sign down the length of Macquarie Street that spells out the names of the locations where TAFE art school are threatened with closure. As there are a lot of them, we think the sign will take most of the street!
If you can join us, please assemble in the Domain behind the State Library at 12 noon, where we will form into word groups. This will take a bit of coordination so please be on time. Please wear a red, black or white top. We will present the hard copy and online petitions to Carmel Tebbutt at 1 pm and anticipate finishing at 1.45.
Bring home the Bacon to Barry – at the Art Gallery of NSW Friday 16 November
We will also be bringing home the consequences of the funding cuts when the Premier opens the Francis Bacon exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW on Friday 16th. The opening is scheduled for 6 pm. We will meet from 5pm – to ensure the invited guests, media and the Premier are aware of our anger about the changes.
Fundraising
Thank you to the many people who have donated funds towards the costs of the campaign. We have ended up with around $4000, more than our initial goal. This has allowed us to also get some assistance publicity for the campaign. Many, many thanks to everyone who donated!
For those of you who are able to attend the protests I look forward to meeting you!
