TasTAFE will shed at least 56 jobs and axe more than a dozen courses as it works to find $45 million in savings, with the skills minister flagging further reviews of courses and facilities.
Skills and Jobs Minister Felix Ellis tabled the details in parliament on Tuesday night, responding to a Labor motion ordered by the house.
The document confirmed 11 creative courses ended in December 2025, two laboratory technology courses will cease at the end of the year and the prison training service agreement will not be renewed when it expires on June 30.
Adult migrant English and international student programs are also under review, with consultation with affected staff underway.
Two properties are flagged for possible disposal – the Lady Gowrie childcare site at Newnham and vacant land at Devonport.
Labor leader Josh Willie asked Ellis multiple times whether more cuts were coming.
“Will you rule out more cuts beyond the 56 jobs and programs you’ve listed, or is there more to come?” Willie said.
Ellis did not answer directly, instead pointing to TasTAFE’s $149.4 million budget for 2025-26 and projected increases over the forward estimates.
“We will continue to grow our investment in TasTAFE,” he said.
He also defended ongoing reviews of courses and facilities.
“TasTAFE cannot be all things to all people,” Ellis said.
Greens MP Tabatha Badger said the tabled information fell well short of the $45 million target.
“It is deeply concerning when a minister of the Crown cannot or will not provide information called upon by this place,” Badger said.
She asked when Tasmanians would be told where the rest of the savings would come from.
Ellis said the funding detail would be in the upcoming state budget, “available in the budget in a couple of weeks time”.
He acknowledged the four-year outlook was not yet settled.
“I’ve been asked at a very early stage about what four years into the future looks like,” Ellis said.
“We’ve done our best to provide that information with the information that we know.”
