During Parliamentary Budget Estimates on Thursday 29 July 2021, I asked how much Government funding was going to private VET providers and whether they'd increase funding for the public provider, TAFE.
You can read the answers below or in the official Queensland Parliament Record of Proceedings (Hansard).
Mr BERKMAN: I have a question, first of all, for the director-general. Can you tell us what proportion of Queensland’s vocational education and training budget is currently spent on TAFE as the public provider of VET in Queensland?
Mr Agnew: I thank the member for the question. I believe we might have had a recent question on notice as well in relation to that. I can confirm for you that 42 per cent of contestable vocational education and training was provided to public providers.
Mr BERKMAN: In that light, I will put—
CHAIR: Do you have a further question, member for Maiwar?
Mr BERKMAN: If I might. I will make it brief, though, because I know the member for South Brisbane is keen to ask a question if that is at all possible. Minister, I am curious. Does the government have a target or a plan for increasing the share of state VET funding going to TAFE to 80 per cent or above?
Ms FARMER: I thank the member for the question. As the member will know, vocational education is a demand driven system. We have the most contestable market in Australia; 39 per cent of Queensland government funded students studied at a public provider. As I said, public providers receive 42 per cent of contestable vocational education. We are unashamed supporters of the public provider.