Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The senator's question again seems to imply that what the Baillieu government has done is all the federal government's fault. Quite frankly, Senator, you have just got it all wrong. The $300 million the Victorians ripped out of the TAFE system was not done with my imprimatur, permission or any support at all. The reason we are seeing the problems in Victoria is that they took $300 million out of the budget. It is not some broader conspiracy; it is actually a straight cut to support to TAFEs. That is what is at the heart of the problems in Victoria.

There is growth in the private sector. Perhaps unlike you, I do not actually oppose some competition in vocational education and training in Victoria, and I do not expect the TAFEs to be totally protected from that competition, but they are at the heart of training in Victoria. They need to grow and they need to be supported, and under the Baillieu government that is not being done.