Vic's Swinburne Uni to close campus

Swinburne University of Technology will close its Lilydale campus in Melbourne's outer east, home to 3000 students, and up to 240 staff will lose their jobs. TAFE courses in areas such as hospitality, leisure, recreation and tourism will no longer be offered, and courses in low demand will also be dumped.

The decision comes after the Victorian government slashed $290 million from TAFE funding in the 2012/13 budget.

Swinburne had $35 million of its TAFE budget, about one quarter, cut for this financial year.

Vice-chancellor Linda Kristjanson said with fewer viable TAFE courses and a drop in demand for higher education at Lilydale, the campus would no longer offer courses from July 1 next year.

Students in the middle of higher education courses at Lilydale will have their programs rolled into courses at the Hawthorn campus from January, while those working towards a TAFE qualification may continue their courses at the nearby Croydon or Wantirna campuses.

"We expect that there will be no impact on the students themselves," Prof Kristjanson told reporters.

"Geography is important when students make the choice about their programs, but moreover they are making choices about quality programs."

The future of the Prahran campus will be decided after 2014, with TAFE courses there to be moved to other campuses and the Faculty of Design to go to Hawthorn.

There will be 120 voluntary redundancies offered to Swinburne TAFE teachers and the same number available to general staff across the university.

Prof Kristjanson said sackings would be a last resort, and in her experience voluntary redundancy programs were often over-subscribed.

Higher Education Minister Peter Hall acknowledged the TAFE funding cuts had helped drive the closures.

"There is no doubt that some of the changes for vocational training and funding have led them to some of those decisions in part," he told reporters.

"But essentially the main reason for these changes is a decision taken by the university council which reflects the priorities that they have towards program delivery into the future."

Opposition education spokesman James Merlino said the closure of the Lilydale campus would have wide-ranging implications across Melbourne's outer east.

"This is the reality of $290 million being ripped out of TAFE," he told reporters.

"Kids from regional Victoria travelling to Lilydale will no longer have the opportunity of a TAFE course."

No decision has been made about the future of the campus building at Lilydale.

Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/vics-swinburne-to-close-campus-cuts-jobs/story-e6frf7kf-1226418929897 BY, Melissa Jenkins From: AAP July 06, 2012 5:43PM