Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

STATEMENTS ON REPORTS AND PAPERS
1662 COUNCIL Wednesday, 1 June 2011
It is pleasing to note that Corrections Victoria already
has a number of programs in place to support prisoners
to have contact with their children, particularly women.
It is developing a model of support for the children of
women in prison. As part of the development of this
model, Corrections Victoria will investigate the
possibility of increased contact between women
prisoners and their children. I am pleased to note that
Corrections Victoria has taken note of this report and
will include it in the discussions that are to be held.
At the moment prisoners are encouraged to contact
their children, and there are programs to support
women to have contact with their children. As I said,
children can live at Tarrengower should their mothers
wish. The Victorian Association for the Care and
Resettlement of Offenders has a residential visits
program and a videoconferencing program. The
videoconferencing program is turning out to be quite
successful. It certainly needs to be increased, but I am
pleased that Corrections Victoria is addressing some of
these issues, and I hope we can see them resolved in the
future.
Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE: report
2010
Ms DARVENIZA (Northern Victoria) — I want to
make some comments on the 2010 annual report of the
Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE. The TAFE, or
GOTAFE as it is known throughout north-eastern
Victoria, is the largest post-compulsory education
provider in north-eastern Victoria. In my electorate of
Northern Victoria Region it delivers annually in excess
of 3 million student contact hours across 38 industry
subsectors to more than 16 000 students. It employs
450 staff located at 13 campuses and achieves an
annual turnover in excess of $50 million. It is a very big
TAFE. It has a lot of campuses and it looks after a lot of
students in north-eastern Victoria. It has a very good
reputation throughout north-east Victoria and in fact
throughout Victoria. It is recognised as being
innovative and progressive in its approach to
post-compulsory education.
The region that is covered by GOTAFE almost mirrors
my electorate of Northern Victoria Region. It includes
11 local government areas, and it services the
vocational education and training needs of more than
220 000 Victorians who live in locations ranging from
Wallan down in the south to Kyabram in the west,
Mansfield in the east, from Nathalia to Rutherglen in
the north and all that lies in between. The establishment
of GOTAFE took effect upon the amalgamation of the
Wangaratta Institute of TAFE and the Goulburn Valley
Institute of TAFE back in 1996.
The TAFE’s strengths lie very much with its
experienced, skilled and, as I said, innovative staff.
They provide training and skills development and other
services to students as well as to industry clients and the
wider community through innovative, customised and
quality assurance training programs and products,
flexible education and training delivery methods. They
are committed to consultation, partnership and
customer satisfaction.
The TAFE engages very much with the community and
with industry. It looks at what students and industry
need in the region and at where employment
opportunities exist both now and into the future. The
TAFE has never shied away from stepping up to the
plate and having a go at something that is interesting
and different and in taking up the challenge. I want to
take this opportunity to congratulate the board of
GOTAFE including the chair, Michael Tehan, the
deputy chair, Liz Chapman, and all the board members.
I also congratulate Paul Culpan, who is the chief
executive officer.
In GOTAFE’s 2010 annual report the key
achievements are listed as it having an operating
revenue of $53 million, organisational assets of
$81 million plus, a full-time staff of 458, student
enrolments of over 70 000 and student contact hours of
just under 5 million. The TAFE does a really fantastic
job. Over 2060 students graduated from the primary
industries, service and technology divisions and the
Koori and multicultural units at GOTAFE, the
GOTAFE Regional Academy of Dramatic Arts, the
National Centre for Equine Education and the National
Centre for Dairy Education. Students received
recognition for completing nationally accredited
courses at advanced diploma, diploma and
certificate IV through to certificate I levels.
Implementing the Government’s Response to the
2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission —
May 2011
Mr DRUM (Northern Victoria) — I wish to
comment on the report entitled Implementing the
Government’s Response to the 2009 Victorian
Bushfires Royal Commission — May 2011. At the
outset we have to preface any comments about the
bushfires by acknowledging that on that terrible day
173 people lost their lives, and that is something of
which we must always be mindful when we talk about
the bushfires, the ensuing royal commission, its report
and now the implementation of those
recommendations.