Survey shows almost all Australians want federal funding increase for TAFE
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 125 No 8, 6 November 2020, page no. 17
A Fifty Acres-Pollinate Survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,001 Australians aged 18+ has found that almost all Australians feel it’s important that federal funding for TAFE is increased in order to help recovery from the recession.
94 per cent of those surveyed said it was important that the federal government increase funding to TAFE for the post-recession rebuild and recovery, with 45 per cent saying it was “very important”. Just 2 per cent said it was not important.
Meredith Peace, Federal Deputy President of the Australian Education Union, said: “This survey vindicates our call for the federal government to abandon the market model of vocational education and immediately increase TAFE funding.
“The people of Australia trust and respect TAFE, and it is time for the Scott Morrison government to show the same trust and respect by providing TAFE with the funding it needs.
“TAFE is perfectly positioned to be a critical institution in the post-COVID-19 rebuild and recovery of Australia – the public recognises this, so why doesn’t Scott Morrison?
“We’ve just had a Federal Budget that was silent on TAFE and provided absolutely no new funding. Why is the Morrison government so ideologically opposed to doing what almost all Australian’s see as common sense – boosting funding to TAFE for the sake of Australia’s recovery?”