Once again, the Australian government has reacted to the failings of a system it was responsible for implementing by punishing those who it claims to serve.
This time, the victims are a reported half a million prospective students, with the news that 475 of the vocational courses offered by educational institutions that will no longer be eligible for Vocational Education and Training (VET) FEE HELP loans come 2017.
Hit hardest of all will be the arts sector, with a total of 57 Graduate, Diploma, and Advanced Diploma courses set to be discredited. In 2015, over 17,000 students were enrolled in creative arts classes, studying a range of fields including dance, film, product design, media marketing, and communication.
The decision was announced in a press release by Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham, who declared “…new statistics highlight that up to one in five students were doing VET FEE-HELP courses not to improve their job prospects, but to pursue lifestyle interests”.
These figures stem from the 2015 VET-FEE HELP Statistical Report and, in fact, vary significantly from those cited by the Minister, ending up closer to one in eight. By using the vague phrase “lifestyle interests” – a term that is no doubt meant to inspire the image of a stoned ‘artist’ playing video games while gorging on pizza purchased with taxpayer dollars – Birmingham also avoids presenting the statistic as the original option was presented to the students who took the survey. Instead of “lifestyle interests”, students were asked if they were taking their course “for personal interest or self-development”.
It is entirely woeful to believe that the Australian Minister for Education cannot perceive self-development as beneficial to both potential employee and employer, no matter the field of employment, nor allow for the assumption that students may actually find use for what they’ve learnt in whatever field they eventually end up in.
Birmingham also fails to address the fact that 80% of students specifically stated that they were studying to get a job, or for business related reasons.
Brett Wood is the founder and Principal of Brisbane’s Music Industry College, and a beacon of hope for the city’s emerging artists. While he’s not pointing any fingers, he believes that it’s the institutions that are to blame.
“I think any system that allows for the privatisation of education is open to exploitation. I think the students apply for a course because they have a genuine passion or interest in that area of study, (and that) some institutions use students to gain access to government funding.
“It’s basic economics. The more students they have on FEE HELP the more money they get from the government. They get the money regardless of whether (the students) graduate or not.”
Only 23% of vocational education students who commenced study three years ago graduated at the end of their courses, the industry report found. Students have been made a scapegoat for the institutions manipulating the system and the governments responsible for letting the issue escalate. Now they are paying the price.
“I think (the changes) will have a huge impact on the arts,” says Wood. “It will make it the domain of those who can afford to not receive any assistance, i.e. the wealthy. Lower socio-economic students will opt out of studying courses that have upfront fees or no fee help.
“Good art can come from any class structure but often the art that is disruptive comes from the lower classes. They are the ones who have something to be angry about and therefore something meaningful to say.”
Recently adding his voice to the discussion, Sydney-based hip hop artist Tuka took to Facebook to decry the government’s decision, comparing their agility in cutting funds to education to the current costs associated with detaining refugees.
“I guess the important thing to keep in mind is that these are the same fuckwits that detain and torture refugees. It costs about $500,000 per person to torture and detain refugees, $9 billion a year. So basically, our government values torture more than art.”
So what’s the solution?
Wood believes education needs to be wholly free, with minimum entry requirements that judge a student’s skill and ability beyond the standard academic rankings.
“I know of at least one student that we had who didn’t pass year 12, yet they gained entry to a ‘dreaded course’ (Bachelor of Music). One month later, they had withdrawn due to course difficulty. That’s a significant problem for the student and the tax payer.”
Assistant Minister for Vocational Education Karen Andrews told Triple J they are willing to make changes to the new policy in the future. Meanwhile, bodies like the Australian Council for Private Education and Training are arguing that they weren’t properly consulted.
For students, their options continue to wither.
Full list of creative courses ineligible for FEE HELP from 2017:
- Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance)
- Diploma of Musical Theatre
- Diploma of Live Production Design
- Diploma of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Industry Work
- Diploma of Ceramics
- Advanced Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance)
- Diploma of Floristry Design
- Diploma of Jewellery and Object Design
- Advanced Diploma of Jewellery and Object Design
- Diploma of Broadcast Technology
- Advanced Diploma of Performance
- Graduate Diploma of Classical Ballet
- Diploma of Performing Arts
- Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts
- Diploma of Fashion Styling
- Diploma of Screen Acting
- Diploma of Screen Performance
- Advanced Diploma of Acting
- Diploma of Circus Arts
- Diploma of Social Media Marketing
- Advanced Diploma of Acting for Contemporary Screen Media
- Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts
- Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship for Creatives
- Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance
- Diploma of Arts (Acting)
- Advanced Diploma of Arts (Acting)
- Advanced Diploma of Professional Screenwriting
- Graduate Diploma of Elite Dance Instruction
- Advanced Diploma of Stage and Screen Acting
- Diploma of Visual Communication (Design Communication / Photo Communication)
- Advanced Diploma of Visual Communication (Design Communication / Photo Communication)
- Advanced Diploma of Music Theatre
- Diploma of Cinemagraphic Makeup
- Diploma of Styling (Fashion, Image and Media)
- Advanced Diploma of Commercial Song and Dance Performance
- Diploma of Journalism
- Advanced Diploma of Art (Musical Theatre and Commercial Dance)
- Advanced Diploma of Film, Television and Theatre Acting
- Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts (Acting)
- Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing
- Advanced Diploma of Photography
- Diploma of Theatre Arts
- Diploma of Product Design
- Advanced Diploma of Screen and Stage Acting
- Diploma of Creative Arts in Christian Ministry
- Advanced Diploma of Creative Arts in Christian Ministry
- Advanced Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing)
- Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing)
- Diploma of Mass Communication
- Advanced Diploma of Photography
- Diploma of Performing Arts
- Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts
- Graduate Diploma of Photography
- Diploma of Fashion Products and Markets
- Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts (Musical Theatre) (Commercial Dance)
- Advanced Diploma of Animation