TAFE Enemy Number One!

Barry in his new home in the NSW Teachers Federation!

O'farrell government targets art in TAFE AGAIN!

I just posted the following rant on my Facebook page!

I  found out yesterday that the Fine Art departments of both Hornsby and Northern Beaches TAFEs were closed down late last week, one week before classes were scheduled to start, and despite Hornsby alone having in the region of one hundred students enrolled at the new commercial  fee rate  introduced by the O’farrell government last year.

This just demonstrates the contempt which the O’farrell government has for arts education in NSW. Indeed all education, the arts may have been hit first as a soft target, but the government plans to extend the commercialisation of TAFE to all departments eventually.

You can help by registering your support for the campaign to stop the cuts at

www.stoptafecuts.com.au and www.facebook.com/stoptafecuts

This morning I was part of a very well attended demo outside Hornsby TAFE, together with one of my Barry heads, which have already featured in this blog and which were made for exactly this purpose, after the draconian fee increases imposed by the O’farrell government last year. This is the first time he has had the opportunity to appear in person at a demo and I am pleased to say he has now been adopted by the representative of the NSW Teachers Federation to use in further action.

Here he is today. The accompanying plaque is meant to be read on two levels, WANTED ART! And WANTED for crimes against ART! But it didn’t come out well in the photo so I have agreed to NTF colouring the lettering red.