“Education is not for sale”

It’s time again for Trivia Night. The ARC raises awareness on important topics, offering a fun night out while visitors can do something good on the side.

Visitors will experience a night full of trivia, music, food and prices. A children’s art corner ensures that both great and small have a good time.

The cause on this evening’s agenda is the privatisation of TAFE. TAFE Community Alliance will inform visitors on the government’s education sale, allowing a lot of time and space for discussions. Trivia Night will give room to the community to get informed and sensitised, to negotiate and raise a lobby to influence decision makers.

Overall, the name-giving famous trivia game will cheer up the crowds.

Come down to Addison Road to join us for a great night, 24th May 7pm.

It is without question that every single person has a unique view on the world. What many people do not know is that in fact each human being is alone in their worlds, as the system of cognition is a closed one, but as long as we have small agreements among our world views it feels like we all belong to the same universe.

You might fall into disbelief now but if you think about it you will prove it right: It is all about interpretation that dictates our perception. These different ways of interpretation are shown at the current art show “Personal Landscapes” the ARCCO Gallery hosts. Four artists and friends got together to show their personal landscapes, all interpreting and abstracting real subjects or experiences. From this shared theme four very different approaches resulted, and you can see the creative conversion change from artist to artist. The atmosphere of the paintings swaps from one group of paintings to the other, and gives evidence to the exceptional human mind. This is not a bad thing though. And, as we are talking about arts, it is the result that counts, not the origin of the idea or the conception of the art work.

“Personal Landscapes” is art for everyone. So come and take your last chance to visit the art show at the ARCCO Gallery this Sunday, 19^th May and dive into the different worlds of the artists Kassie Dummett, Fran Hayes, Richard Magee & Martin Pisani.

The Addison Road Community Centre (ARCC) and Reverse Garbage would like to invite you  to our Veggie Lunch Launch 11am, Tuesday 23 April.

The Veggie Lunch Launch celebrates the welcoming of the ‘Veggie Patch Van’ who will serve their much-loved, high quality vegetarian dishes using seasonal produce sourced from local growers. The enterprise’s whole foods philosophy extends on the ‘paddock to plate’ movement ensuring the delivery of minimally processed, full flavoured cuisine aimed at reconnecting growers with diners. The van’s artwork resembles a farm barn house surrounded by a veggie patch and is a nod to this idea.

The team behind The Veggie Patch is determined to keep its environmental impact to an absolute minimum, and hope to continually discover new and innovative ways of achieving this. All waste produced including packaging is compostable, solar panels power the cooking and the van itself runs on recycled vegetable oil!

ARCC and Reverse Garbage will create a ‘veg-alfresco’ atmosphere for diners with furniture and decorations made exclusively from reuse materials saved from landfill. With a continued focus on environmental programs at The Addison Road Centre, all leftover organic waste and scraps from The Veggie Patch Van will be composted at the centre’s Community Compost.

Event:                                   Veggie Lunch Launch – we welcome the Veggie Patch Van to ARCC!

Time & date:                     11am, Tuesday 23 April

Location:                             The Addison Road Community Centre
                                                    142 Addison Road
                                                    Marrickville NSW

We look forward to welcoming you to this delicious, environmentally friendly event!

The ARCC is actively supporting a cause, and trying to get others to support it as well by using Trivia as a tool. The ARCC builds partnerships and supports community actions and concerns Trivia is an example of how we create forums and share spaces by  speaking up, drawing attention to an important issue and directing decision makers towards a solution.  

OUR ADVOCACY TRIVIA AIMS: 

 Sensitise
  Mobilise
  Dialogue
  Negotiate
  Lobby
 Petition
  Pressure
 Inform
 Entertain

***

This  CAUSE IS “EDUCATION Is NOT FOR SALE”

TAFE IS TOO IMPORTANT TO LOSE. 

TRIVIA NIGHT

Friday May 23 7.00 pm

10am FRIDAY 5th April – We are inviting members of the public, whether that be individuals, government representatives, TAFE lecturers and students, ARCC Members etc to contribute a ‘waste’ item to be placed in any of the boxes that are part of the art installation.

After the exhibition we will work with students at Arts & Design Schools to create a new sculpture from the items – again practising reuse and the upcycling of materials – which will go on display at ARCC/Reverse Garbage. Individuals are encouraged to bring the reuse items with them when they visit the gallery.

NOTHING NEW

Sculpture paintings by
Ganbold Lundaa
Gallery opening night -6-9pm Tuesday 9th April 2013
Exhibition on until 21st April 2013

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday – Saturday 12pm to 6pm, Sunday 12pm to 4pm
(Or by appointment with the Artist)

142 Addison Road
Marrickville NSW 2204
(02)9569 7633
http://www.addisonrdcentre.com.au

Funding, fees, voucher system and accessibility

• Vocational Education and Training (VET) reform commenced in NSW with 1.7 billion cuts to schools and TAFE in 2012 resulting in the deletion of 800 jobs.
• A more severe version of this reform Smart and Skilled will be implemented in NSW at the commencement of 2014 which is effectively a blueprint for privatising VET.
• Smart and Skilled will provide ‘An’ entitlement for eligible individuals to government subsidised training up to and inclusive of  Cert III.
• While Smart and Skilled will not be implemented until next year some institutes across NSW have already deleted and earmarked for future deletion a number of equity, trade and vocational positions.
• A massive 9.5% fee increase for students which will disproportionately affect disadvantaged students and those in regional areas who rely on TAFE for accessible, high-quality skills training.
• The NSW government has stopped funding art education in TAFE, leaving 4,000 students without access to finishing their courses in 2013 unless they can pay fees of $5,500 to $8,800 per year. Under Smart and Skilled this removal of funding will be replicated across all vocational areas that are not in skill shortage areas reducing choice for students and favouring the wealthy.
• Only those students enrolled in Diploma or higher courses are eligible for VET Fee Help which in turn leads to graduates who are entering relatively low paid industries doing so with large debts.
• The government claims that art is not vocational and that there are few job prospects for artists. But TAFE art graduates are employed across many industries – as art therapists, as art teachers, designers, in galleries and museums. These reforms inhibit student choice to be educated in fine arts and gain access to these industries.
• The reforms are meant to address skills shortages however the drastic cuts will see skill levels in NSW decline and are likely in the longer term to create skills shortages in other vocational areas.
• The cuts will damage the TAFE sector in NSW, stretch the already hardworking but overworked employees and will lead to TAFE courses being cut.
• Regional economies will also be affected as jobs are cut from local TAFE colleges or campuses are closed as has happened in Victoria and Queensland.
• Smart and Skilled Quality Framework states that students will be able to choose their provider using the Smart and Skilled Portal however this process alone will not direct students to courses, especially considering many JSAs  direct their clients to their own training facilities and many students are lured to private providers advertisement offering FREE ipads and laptops.
• The granting of ’an’ entitlement and the emphasis by Smart and Skilled on course completions further disadvantages students with disabilities and other barriers to learning who may take several courses or a longer time before completing a vocational qualification.
• A well resourced public TAFE sector is vital to achieving a skilled workforce and contributes to reducing inequalities in society.
• TAFE NSW has been the gold standard in the Australian vocational education and training system for generations meeting the collective needs of society, students and industry.

TAFE Equity programs

• Some institutes have already deleted a number of TAFE Equity positions in January 2013 but no information is available on how the needs of students from equity groups will be serviced in the future.  Justification of these deletions has been based on a very selective analysis of TAFE data.
• Positions deleted include Institute Multicultural Coordinators (IMEC) in some institutes, specialist positions that provide educational programs and support to students from CALD backgrounds. Many community organisations and private training providers have referred their graduating students to TAFE Multicultural programs and now these pathways will be non-existent.
• Outreach Coordinators in Adrian Piccoli’s (Riverina) electorate have been deleted as have two of the four Outreach Coordinator positions in North Sydney Institute. Outreach Coordinators develop and implement place-based, partnership programs for disadvantaged and disengaged people. Many other Equity positions that are currently vacant are not being filled or are being filled on a temporary basis.
• In some institutes specialist Teacher Consultants for students who have disabilities have been turned into general positions and staff are now expected to meet the needs of all students with all types of disabilities irrespective of their area of expertise.
• In South Western Sydney Equity Staff have to approach vocational sections and ask these sections to provide the funds needed to run discrete courses for students who have disabilities. This new way of funding access programs is not being met favourably by the vocational sections concerned because this will leave them with less funds available to offer other VET courses and a huge increase in workload.
• In another TAFE NSW institute Teacher Consultants for students who have disabilities have been told that they are no longer able to travel to interview students. They are now required to conduct interviews over the phone or via video conference. It is essential that these they have the opportunity to meet the students on a face to face basis as a first point of contact to determine their level of need and to discuss pathways and support options.
• All funding for ESOL courses has been cut in one institute and in another there will be a 50% cut to the budget to run ESOL courses with no indication of how such programs will be funded in 2014 when NSW moves to entitlement based funding model.  Individuals from CALD backgrounds will therefore find it more and more difficult to develop the level of literacy in English needed to gain employment or advance in their careers.
• In another institute it has been suggested that Teacher Consultants for students who have disabilities should be using non-government agencies such as Vision Australia to undertake assessments of students support needs. While such agencies are well equipped to provide support and assistance to people who have disabilities they do not engage professionals with skills and expertise in Vocational Education and Training.
• In addition to this, as funding for many non-government agencies is outcomes based some services have a history of enrolling people in inappropriate VET courses to secure a placement and the outcome they need.  Without the necessary input from Teacher Consultants many more people who have disabilities in NSW will be open to exploitation by agencies driven by the goal to derive funds from placing people in VET courses irrespective of the appropriateness of the placement.
• In the alternative, DES (Disability Employment Service) providers and community agencies are becoming frustrated in their efforts to access appropriate entry level training for their clients as these courses are no longer being offered.
• No information is available on how the needs of students from equity groups will be serviced in the future. Justification of Equity staff deletions has been based on a very selective analysis of TAFE data.
• Budgets provided to many Equity units have been cut which means that there is less support available to meet the needs of students who have disabilities, are Aboriginal or are from a CALD background and who are undertaking mainstream vocational courses.  Access courses in various institutes previously offered through Equity Units can now only be offered if they are going to generate an income to cover the cost of course delivery. In Sydney’s most disadvantaged region, covered by South Western Sydney Institute, Outreach Coordinators have been given educational budgets but are unable to run their own programs.
• An example of this is a TAFE NSW institute where students who have an intellectual disability are now required to pay $1,000 plus to undertake an access course aimed at assisting them to develop the skills needed to be able to gain entry into mainstream VET courses. If such individuals do not have the means to pay they will be denied the opportunity to develop the skills needed to enter vocational courses and to gain skills that may lead them to employment.
• The prospect of funding being tied to student outcomes is leading some vocational teachers to question the enrolment of some students from equity groups because they fear that the students may not complete a course of study and that this will impact on their ability to achieve outcomes and thereby derive the funds needed to finance their section on an ongoing basis. Therefore, the potential of many people from equity groups to undertake vocational courses and to gain employment is being undermined by VET reform as this is encouraging discrimination at a very personal level.
• One means of accommodating for the needs of students who have disabilities,  eg students with a spinal injury, has been to enable such students to undertake a course of study over an extended period of time, ie over 12 months rather than over 6 months. Unfortunately, while this has worked really well, some vocational teachers are also now reluctant to allow students with disabilities the option of undertaking a course on a reduced program over an extended timeframe because this will reduce completion rates and the level of funds going to the section.
• What this demonstrates is that even before Smart and Skilled is implemented in NSW people who have disabilities, or are disadvantaged in some way, are already open to discrimination.  It will become harder and harder for individuals who are disadvantaged to gain access to programs and appropriate support once the NSW Government implements Smart and Skilled unless policies and procedures are put in place that will prevent this from occurring.
• Another issue that has been raised is access to equipment and technology. Many people who have disabilities can best be serviced through provision of equipment and technology. TAFE NSW has been able to provide such equipment and training in how to use this but there does not appear to be any indication on how individuals will access such equipment and training under Smart and Skilled in NSW or programs operating in other states. The Federal Government also needs to consider how people will be able to access the equipment, technology and training that they need in the future from all RTOs and how this will be done in a timely manner.
• It is unclear how the NSW Government proposes to meet the needs of people who are disadvantaged under Smart and Skilled. There is talk about additional funding or a loading being provided to support students who have disabilities  as part of their entitlement for training but who will be eligible for this support and who will be responsible for determining exactly how much support a student is eligible to receive.
• There remains a big question as to Government will ensure that private RTOs accommodate for the needs of disadvantaged students when some private RTOs, have stated publicly and in no uncertain terms, that they did not consider it is their responsibility to accommodate for the needs of disadvantaged people as they cannot afford the extra support needed and do not have staff with the training and expertise needed. Will Smart and Skilled private providers be able to apply for government funds to run VET programs and be able to deny access to courses and thereby discriminate against people who have a disability?
• Also as VET reform is being driven by the Commonwealth one would assume that the definition of disability being used would be consistent with the terms and conditions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, (DDA). Therefore, this should mean that all individuals who have a disability as defined by this legislation would be eligible for support with vocational education and training programs. If this is not the case clarification is needed on the definition of disability that is being applied in respect to eligibility for funds to support an individual to undertake VET programs.  Further to this, I think that it would be helpful if we could also be informed on how each individual student will be consulted and directly consulted in identifying appropriate support.
• Many people who have disabilities are unhappy about VET Reform. They believe that they were not afforded due consultation and provided with the opportunity to participate in establishing policies and procedures to protect their interests and as a consequence of this the rights of people who have a disability are going to be set back by many years. It will be worth comparing the statistics on enrolments and outcomes of equity groups in TAFE programs in 2014 and beyond to the statistics provided in the TAFE NSW Annual reports for 2007 – 2011.

Lessons from other states

• The recognised failure of VET reform in Victoria has clearly demonstrated that policies and procedures need to be put in place to protect the quality of VET programs and to ensure access to VET programs for all. It should be the responsibility of the Federal Government, as the driving force behind the COAG agreement and VET reform, to ensure that tax payer funds are being used in the best interests of VET students and that policies and procedures are in place across all states to prevent any training providers from exploiting the system.
• In Victoria TAFE funding has been reduced by $300 million per. As a result students pay excessive fees, campuses have been closed and 2000 teachers have lost their jobs across the state.
• TAFE provides skills and training to hundreds of thousands of Victorians, and over the past year many students have been denied the opportunity to attend TAFE due to significant fee increases, campus closures and courses no longer being offered – this is what will happened in NSW in 2014.
• Victorian Premier Denis Napthine’s commitment to reinvest $50 million per year into TAFE over the next four years will not reduce fees nor replace jobs lost.
• Premier Denis Napthine acknowledged that the Government’s cuts are not in the interests of young people, the community, TAFE institutes or the Victorian economy.
• In South Australia 150 jobs will be cut from TAFE over the next 18 months as a result of ‘reforms’.
• In SA the State Government’s mid-year budget included cuts of $9.6 million for 2014-15 and forecast cuts of $21.9m each year.
• The Queensland government is in the midst of closing 38 TAFE campuses cutting $78.8 million from training, tertiary education and employment.
• Those objecting to these ‘reforms’  state the importance of maintaining a high-quality, well-funded public TAFE system that is responsive to the needs of communities as opposed to a private VET sector that uses taxpayers money to profit.
• In the 21st century, we need more than ever a high-quality, well-funded public TAFE   system that is responsive to the needs of society, not treated as a private   business.
• Qld, SA and Victorian governments do not appreciate how important TAFE is to our economy, individual job seekers and the community despite many reviews of VET indicating how important TAFE is to productivity, education opportunities for the disadvantaged, skills for Australian businesses, innovations and partnership programs.

CALICO CAZALY

Textile works by
Erik Krebs-Schade
13 – 24 March 2013
Artist Floor Talk and Closing Drinks: 2pm March 24, 2013

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday – Saturday 12pm to 6pm, Sunday 12pm to 4pm
(Or by appointment with the Artist)

142 Addison Road
Marrickville NSW 2204
(02)9569 7633
http://www.addisonrdcentre.com.au

Artist Contact Details:
Studio NINE
Strathnairn Arts Association
90 Stockdill Drive Holt ACT 2615
http://www.strathnairn.com.au

Artist’s mobile: +61408068008

erik.krebs-schade@anu.edu.au

‘ARCO’ a tribute to the artist based at ARCC specially set up for MOST

Artist exhibiting:
Wayne Hutchins, Vivienne Dadour, Barbara Licha, Abigail Lutzen, Graham Chalcroft , Carlos Femenias, Rodney Rosas-Walker, Rodney Araujo-Moya

Guest artist: Gustavo Balboa.

Opening night – 6pm Thursday 7th March 2012

Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm

For more info call 9569 7633 or email culture@addisonrdcentre.com.au