Education | January 22, 2025
Kealy calls on government to reverse skills funding cuts
As Victoria scrambles to address skills shortages across sectors including early childhood education and healthcare, the Allan Labor Government has made another callous cut to crucial training funding.
The government has slashed vital Skills First funding from Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) with the axing of the 10 per cent funding premium set aside for students to undertake online learning.
The Nationals’ Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy, said Skills First funding enabled RTOs to deliver subsidised courses and skill sets in areas where demand for jobs was high. It also includes additional funding for delivery in regional areas.
The cut follows the Allan Labor Government’s decision last year to slash training allocations to hundreds of RTOs across Victoria by 35 per cent, despite ongoing skill shortages.
“The government’s brutal funding cuts will have devastating and far-reaching consequences for RTOs, their staff and their students,” Ms Kealy said.
“I have been contacted by many families who are directly impacted and bewildered by this cut.
“The Minister for Skills and Training must reinstate this critical funding. Cuts to programs like Skills First while we face critical shortages in so many regional sectors show just how out of touch this government is.
“These cuts are hurting regional and rural students who simply don’t have access to the same training services as their city counterparts. These subsidies are critical to supporting regional employment pathways.
“This is just another consequence of the Labor government’s financial mismanagement and cost-cutting, and regional Victorians are paying the price.”
