North Coast Institute of TAFE director Elizabeth McGregor is devastated the future of the innovative project, that was set to link allied health students across five campuses and provide them access via Port Macquarie’s Rural Clinical School to some of the most state of the art health technology and learning, will be impacted by the decision.

The project, to be rolled out in partnership with the University of NSW and University of Newcastle, was one of three significant TAFE projects, and the only in New South Wales, to have funding rescinded by the federal government after a review of the previous government’s promised allocations under the Education Investment Fund (EIF). Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE will miss out on a funding promise of $46 million and Central Queensland Institute of TAFE $16.6 million.

The Regional Priority Round projects, negotiated by former independent MPs Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, is one of the few federal funding sources for vocational colleges. The program has now been scrapped under the Coalition government, with funding instead being redirected back into university investments.

There were nine major projects identified under the fund across Australia, with only three earmarked to progress this financial year. Formal funding agreements had not been signed for the projects prior to the election.

“We’re disappointed that such an exciting project that went through rigorous value for money testing with EIF, and was one of only three in Australia to get the go ahead this financial year, has been impacted by this decision,” Mrs McGregor said, adding that more than 12 months of hard work had gone into developing a business case for the project.

In association with the Rural Clinical School in Port Macquarie, TAFE students would have access to equipment and technology to complement studies including dental assisting, sterilisation and occupational therapy assistance. Stage two of the project’s rollout was to connect campuses to the program in Taree, Coffs Harbour, Kingscliff and Lismore.

“The project was deliberately designed to combat the tyranny of distance. We would have five TAFE hubs delivering the program and connecting students via live stream technology to training opportunities,” Mrs McGregor said.

“Unfortunately for us it is back to the drawing board. We will go back to our overall asset strategy and look at other things on our list to recognise what could be possible. This will probably mean we will have to let go of something else to make it happen.

“We want the community to know that we will find a way. Our plans to offer these new health qualifications will continue, but how that will happen will have to be worked out.”

A review of the project’s future will commence in January.

Federal Member for Lyne David Gillespie said historically, TAFE funding has always been the responsibility of the state government while universities are the priority of the Commonwealth.

“The Education Investment Fund (EIF) was created by the Howard government as the Higher Education Endowment Fund (HEEF). The Howard Government vision was of a fund for transformative projects in universities, and for the fund to be on an endowment basis so that it could fund projects in perpetuity. The Howard government put $6 billion into HEEF, and this grew through earnings to nearly $6.5 billion,” Dr Gillespie said in a statement addressing the funding cuts.

Dr David Gillespie said under Labor the fund had been reduced to $3.2 billion and the decision to pull back funding from TAFE projects was made to ensure the program’s sustainability and ability to adequately fund universities into the future.

Dr Gillespie added that TAFE institutes already benefit from university investment, particularly with the enhanced facilities that come with the co-location of the University of Newcastle at the North Coast TAFE campus in Port Macquarie.