Act Now to Save TAFE in Victoria and Save the Prahran Campus

We call on Swinburne University to keep the Prahran campus of Swinburne open and to provide their ongoing support for the TAFE programs within the University. We call on the State Government of Victoria to reinstate the funding to TAFE institutes in Victoria and to provide a funding model that supports TAFE education Background to the Petition The Baillieu State Governments savage cuts to TAFE funding have put all metropolitan, regional and country TAFE institutes at risk. Swinburne University has had a cut of $35 million and has issued a Transforming Swinburne Fact Sheet proposing to close both the campus at Lilydale and the vibrant and viable campus at Prahran.

Some facts about Swinburnes Prahran Campus Swinburne at Prahran stands on a site that has provided further education for over a hundred years and has a proud history of serving the inner south-east community. The Prahran Campus currently provides vocational education to over 4000 students a year. Students attending the Prahran campus benefit from excellent public transport access and facilities, as all buildings on campus have been either built or refurbished in the last 20 years. Swinburnes Prahran Campus has an enviable reputation and plays a leading role in the fields of theatre arts, art and design and childrens services. The Prahran campus also offers excellent courses in community services, business studies and ESL and access programs which create opportunity for economically and educationally disadvantaged students. Swinburne at Prahran is a vital part of the cultural and economic fabric of the Windsor/Prahran area.

What will be the impact of the closure of Prahran campus? There will be a great decrease in the availability of TAFE programs for students. Swinburnes plan to move Prahran Campus programs to Wantirna will not work. This campus is difficult to reach, so the student places at Prahran will be lost to Swinburne and the community. Important programs will be lost. There are no Theatre Arts facilities at other campus, nor facilities which could accommodate the large range of Art and Design programs currently offered at Prahran. Industry will suffer. For example, there is currently a serious shortage of qualified child care workers in Victoria and Swinburne is one of the largest providers of graduates, but only a fraction of the numbers currently studying at Prahran will attend the difficult-to-reach Wantirna campus. Many TAFE Business and Design students from the Prahran campus currently articulate into Swinburne degree programs. Those learners who initially need TAFEs applied learning focus will no longer get their initial start, and Swinburne will lose many excellent students from its degree programs. Swinburnes financial problems will increase because its delivery of government subsidised programs and ability to attract international students will reduce drastically. All students, particularly international students, prefer their educational experience to be near public transport, the city and good accommodation options. The closure of Prahran campus will impact the local Windsor/Prahran community dramatically reducing business for the retail and hospitality sector.

PETITION To the Legislative Assembly of Victoria

We the undersigned concerned residents of Victoria draw to the attention of the House the enormously negative impact of the May 1 2012 budget cuts on all TAFE Colleges in Victoria. We point out to the House that the cuts have led Swinburne University, which is facing a $35 million budget cut, to completely discontinue 12 course areas and to propose closing two campuses . The undersigned petitioners are particularly concerned about the consequences of closing the Prahran Campus, which currently provides high quality TAFE programs to around 4000 TAFE students each year. The campus is highly accessible by public transport and offers the largest suite of theatre arts, art and design and childrens services programs in Victoria. The closure of this campus would result in the discontinuation of many important courses and greatly decrease access for thousands of Victorians, including many disadvantaged learners, to good quality vocational education. The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Assembly of Victoria 1. Reverse the May 2012 budget cuts by restoring funding to TAFE institutes. 2. Commit to working with Swinburne University to prevent the closure of the Prahran Campus. NAME (Please Print) 1 ADDRESS SIGNATURE

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Petition collectors: Please return this sheet to 295 Napier St, Fitzroy 3065 by 25 August 2112.

PETITION
To Vice Chancellor, Linda Kristjanson and the Council of Swinburne University of Technology. We the undersigned are seeking your help to protect the delivery of TAFE courses at Swinburne University of Technology. As Vice Chancellor and members of Council of a dual-sector institution, we urge you to add your voices to the strong protests against the massive cuts to funding for TAFE in Victoria. We also ask your support to preserve the Prahran campus and its programs. In deliberations about Swinburne's way forward, we urge you to consider very carefully the needs of the many thousands of current and future students who wish to participate in the high quality TAFE programs delivered at the Prahran campus . The campus is located in a vibrant area which is very accessible by public transport. Both these factors make it very attractive to approximately 4000 local and international students who study there each year. The delivery of high calibre courses in the performing arts, art and design and children's services has put the Prahran campus of Swinburne at the forefront of TAFE education. Swinburne's reputation will be greatly diminished in the eyes of industry and the community if this delivery at Prahran is discontinued. In addition, the Prahran campus offers high quality courses in community services, business studies, plus a range of access courses which provide opportunity for a great many disadvantaged students - students to whom an easily accessible location is vital. Facilities at Prahran including the David Williamson theatre, and many relatively new and refurbished buildings, which are valuable, purpose-built, vocational education assets. Closing the Prahran Campus would have dire consequences for the students who would no longer be able to access quality training programs. It would also exacerbate the financial problems for Swinburne, for as well as having the State funding cuts to deal with, there would be a severe reduction in the number of local and international TAFE students enrolled at Swinburne. Currently these students can easily access the Prahran campus and want to be located there. Many of them would not be willing or able to travel to the Wantirna Campus, the proposed relocation destination, so the overall TAFE student population would shrink dramatically. We urge you to work with the Swinburne community and all those who are deeply concerned about the campus closure. We urge you join us in opposing the cuts to TAFE by making joint representations to government. We ask you to reverse the proposal to close the Prahran campus, and to find ways to continue the 100 year history of post-secondary education on the Prahran campus. Our strong desire is to save the Prahran campus of Swinburne for quality TAFE and to work with the management and Council of Swinburne to achieve that end. Name Signed

Petition collectors: Please return this sheet to 295 Napier St, Fitzroy 3065 by 25 August 2112.