Greens MP Dawn Walker has challenged Adam Marshall to a debate over the future of TAFE.
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Ms Walker has been visiting campuses around the region this week, protesting against the government’s new multi-million dollar Connected Learning Centres.
“If Adam Marshall is so confident that his Liberal-National government’s plans to sell off TAFE campuses and replace them with computer terminals is the best way forward for regional communities, then I challenge him to a debate on the issue,” she said on Thursday afternoon.
But the Nationals MP said if Ms Walker wanted a debate, she should have picked up the phone.
“If Dawn wanted a debate or even a discussion about the Connected Learning Centre at Glen Innes, she could have had that this week by simply picking up the phone and giving me a call,” Mr Marshall said.
“She chose not to do that and nor did she bother talking with Glen Innes Severn Council.”
Mr Marshall said the best idea would be for Ms Walker to return to Glen Innes once the CLC is open.
“I’d be more than happy to arrange a personal tour of the CLC for her and a full briefing from TAFE NSW so she can see first-hand how the centre operates, how it broadens the learning opportunities for students in the district and help her understand what these centres are all about,” he said.
“Once she’s seen the finished centre in Glen Innes, if Dawn still wants to have a debate on its merits, I’d be more than happy to do so.”
EARLIER:
Adam Marshall has labelled Greens MP Dawn Walker’s actions as “deceptive” following her protest against TAFE Connected Learning Centres across the region this week.
The local Nationals MP said Ms Walker owed the community “an apology” for slamming the new multi-million dollar digital hubs which are currently being rolled out in Glen Innes and Tenterfield, with headquarters in Armidale.
“Dawn Walker either has no idea about what’s going on or is deliberately trying to deceive the community,” Mr Marshall told Fairfax Media after Ms Walker visited the Glen Innes campus on Wednesday.
“I’m astounded by it and quite frankly, disgusted by it.
“I think she actually owes the community of Glen Innes an apology for trying to blow into town saying ‘this is bad, and you deserve a second-rate TAFE campus’, rather than a first-class facility that we’re currently building.”
The Greens MP rallied across the region this week as part of her Teachers Not Terminals tour.
“The National Party [wants] to sell-off our TAFE campuses, cut teaching staff and replace face-to-face learning with online modules in tacky shopfronts,” she said.
But Mr Marshall said she should stop hiding behind “cheap political rhetoric … which is not only deceptive, it’s just plainly not true – it’s false”.
“If she had bothered to pick up the phone and speak to either me or even to TAFE, she would have been able to find out all of the information,” Mr Marshall said.
“Rather than selling TAFE campuses and cutting staff – actually the opposite is true.
“In Glen Innes, we are doubling the number of full-time teachers, we are doubling the number of courses available in addition to what is currently at the TAFE campus.”
Ms Walker also said the new CLCs would be disastrous for face-to-face learning.
But Mr Marshall disagreed.
“That’s absolute rubbish as well because we’re increasing the number of full-time teachers … to teach face-to-face, extra students that will come in and study the extra course offered,” he said.
“I think she’s been left, as a Greens MP, quite red-faced.”
EARLIER:
GREENS MP Dawn Walker says Connected Learning Centres will be the death of TAFE.
Ms Walker said digital hubs, currently being rolled out in Glen Innes and Tenterfield, with headquarters in Armidale, would be a blow to vocational education.
“The National Party [wants] to sell-off our TAFE campuses, cut teaching staff and replace face-to-face learning with online modules in tacky shopfronts,” she said.
But Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said the Glen Innes CLC would in fact see full-time teaching jobs and courses double.