Josh Willie MP
6 May 2026
Cuts to 56 TasTAFE jobs, courses just the tip of the iceberg
Minister Felix Ellis has pointedly failed to rule out further job and course cuts at TasTAFE as Eric Abetz takes a knife to the critical training organisation to pay for 13 years of Liberal waste.
Documents tabled in Parliament last night confirmed at least 56 TasTAFE staff are being sacked and several courses are being cut.
After 13 years of Liberal waste, TasTAFE has confirmed it needs to find $45 million in savings, and it's inevitable there will be further cuts to come to meet this target.
Only the Liberals would cut experienced TAFE staff while spending $95,000, roughly the cost of a teacher's salary, on a brand ambassador.
The Government has not explained how much taxpayers will pay in redundancy costs, or how much of its claimed savings will be wiped out by sacking experienced TasTAFE staff.
Tasmania needs tradies, health workers, aged carers, early childhood educators, agricultural workers and skilled staff across regional industries like manufacturing. These cuts include the Adult Migrant English Program, which helps migrant workers build the English skills they need to participate in Tasmania's workforce and community.
If Minister Ellis truly believes TasTAFE provides essential training universities cannot, why is his Government cutting the teachers, funding and courses needed to deliver it?
Skilled industries need skilled workers, trained by skilled teachers.
After 13 years of Liberal waste, Premier Rockliff has put Eric Abetz in charge of cutting critical services like TasTAFE to pay for it.
TasTAFE needs to be saved from Premier Rockliff and Eric Abetz's cuts so we can train the workforce Tasmania needs.
