Page 248 - Week 01 - Thursday, 13 February 2020
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It is my expectation, as I said, that the budget for this program will be exceeded because it is demand driven. But it cannot be uncapped forever. We have put in place a series of measures that ensure that no current student is disadvantaged and that the subsidies continue for high priority courses but so that we can contain the level of over-expenditure to around 30 per cent above the current budget for the program.
MS LEE: Chief Minister, why have you risked exacerbating a skills shortage in the ACT by slashing this funding?
MR BARR: Again, Ms Lee, I do not think you even listened to my first two answers. That is a problem when you are given a question that is written for you before you hear the answers to the other questions. Firstly, there is no cut. Funding will continue in advance of the budget allocation and will be met by consolidated revenue in the overall budget. We will continue to ensure that all current students are supported, hopefully through to completion of their studies.
I repeat the point that the ACT has, for six years in a row now, had the highest proportion of government funded training places of any state or territory. We will continue to see that through the CIT, which is the principal provider of skills training in this city, and the best provider of skills training. Public TAFE is the best. CIT is the best, and that is where people should be going for their training, but we also offer user-choice funding for private training providers. But it is not unlimited. It will be oversubscribed, and it will continue to be, as we support students to get the skills they need.
Tertiary education—funding
MR PARTON: My question is to the Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister for Tertiary Education. Chief Minister, cuts to VET sector funding will have a huge impact on the building and construction industry, with courses such as the cert IV in workplace safety, the cert III in carpentry and the cert III in plumbing all being impacted. Providers of these courses include CIT and most private registered training organisations, RTOs, all of whom will be adversely affected. Are there any RTOs that will not be affected by these cuts?
MR BARR: This again is the problem when you cannot adjust your question time tactics and respond to answers. There are no cuts to funding. In fact, funding will go over the budgeted allocation.
In terms of one of the courses that you refer to, Mr Parton, there have been only one or two enrolments, full stop, under the user choice system. There is no demand for that particular course.
Mr Coe: You said oversubscribed.
MR BARR: Across all of the courses, but not one of the specific ones that Mr Parton referenced in his question. That shows that he has simply read from an MBA letter that was sent to everyone rather than being able to come up with his own question or
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