Getting blood from a stone 

A common theme among speakers at the recent annual general meeting of the Australian Education Union (AEU) National TAFE Council was strategy – on how to get blood from a stone.

There is no doubt that TAFE is suffering from a severe lack of lifeblood. The position is grave, with huge increases in student fees, cuts to courses and campuses, the loss of thousands of jobs, and the move to contract out TAFE facilities to private providers. We were called on to reconceptualise and rethink our role, to campaign and activate to save our TAFEs.

Angelo Gavrielatos, Federal President of the AEU, urged us to harness the state elections to send a message via voters. Richard Dennis, Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Canberra, advised us to look at what the other side did right – why did they win and we lose? Don’t stick to the same story. Look to be different to gain media attention. According to John Mitchell, Managing Director of a research, evaluation and consulting company specialising in education, health and the public sector, we need to keep our dignity, but be smarter with media techniques, and reinvent ourselves.

We heard from two Greens politicians, Senator Lee Rhiannon and Senator John Kaye. Both were understanding of our current position, the downside of contestability, and the importance of connecting with our local communities to spread the message about stopping TAFE cuts. Professor John Buchanan, Director of the Workplace Research Centre at the University of Sydney, talked of navigating a retreat, and thinking about how you want to come back. He also suggested competent managers were critical to our success.

Arthur Rorris, Secretary of NSW South Coast Labour Council, touted story telling – relate to people’s lives, don’t just present them with facts and figures. We witnessed the strength of this strategy in the enthusiastic, personal presentation from Miriam, an arts student from Adelaide – her story buoyed everyone, with her passion for TAFE and what it has brought to her life.

We resolved to call on governments to restore funding removed from the TAFE system and publicly recognise and affirm the important role of TAFE as the public provider in giving access to training and retraining in areas of high and low demand (particularly in rural and remote areas), and in support of improved access and participation for disadvantaged learners.

Now we have to work out how to achieve this! Take your strategies to your next branch meeting, and let’s not just chip away at the problem, but crack it open!

Gail Anzolin
QTU TAFE Council

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 119 No 6, 22 August 2014, p20