Letter exposes Liberal chaos on TAFE as cuts deepen

After 13 years of the Liberals, Tasmanians are paying for their waste through cuts to TAFE and jobs.

New correspondence from Skills Minister Felix Ellis has exposed the chaos at the heart of the Liberal Government’s TAFE cuts.  

Last year, the Liberals cut laboratory technology courses at TasTAFE and sacked 18 staff - ripping away a proven training pathway that has supported Tasmanian industries for decades.

Now, a letter from Felix Ellis confirms the Government is scrambling to fix the mess it created – restoring funding for training but handing it to interstate private providers instead of simply reinstating the TasTAFE program.

This is a huge admission their original decision has blown up in their face.  

TasTAFE has delivered laboratory training in Tasmania for decades, with the facilities, staff, and industry connections already in place.

Instead of backing that proven system, the Liberals are outsourcing training to mainland providers with no established links to Tasmanian employers.

It’s wasteful, it’s risky, and it’s putting the quality of training at risk. And this comes on top of the Liberals’ plan to rip $45 million out of TasTAFE over the next four years.

The Liberals should immediately reinstate laboratory technology courses at TasTAFE and abandon their plan to slash another $45 million.

Tasmanians deserve a government that backs local training, backs local jobs, and backs our future workforce.