Historical information

In October 2011 the Ballieu Government announced funding cuts to public and private technical training organisations as a cost saving measure. The government reduced funding for seven subject areas including business and clerical, finance and hospitality, totaling $300 million across the state.

During a visit to Ballarat on 15 June 2012 Premier Ted Ballieu was met by hundreds of protestors angry at the TAFE cuts. It was expected that the Ballarat TAFE sector would be cut by $20million (or 40%), and up to 60 TAFE programs would be cut.

A report in 'The Australian' on 01 June 2012 projected the TAFE cuts would result in the loss of almost 2000 jobs across the state. 'If the projections are correct, Victorian college redundancies would dwarf those in manufacturing and aviation, matching the worst predictions of job losses across Australia's entire banking sector.'
Ballarat's National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and the Ballarat Trades and Labor Council (BTLC) are following up their earlier protest campaigns with a monster meeting to be held at Ballarat Trades Hall, Camp Street on Sunday 8 July. The monster meetings will take place in close proximity to Bakery Hill where over 10,000 diggers protested against an the gold license system in 1854.

Physical description

.1) A brown and black Monster Meeting poster based on the Eureka Monster Meeting poster. The post uses text similar to the 1854 Eureka Poster to advertise a meeting to fight TAFE cuts as announced by the Victorian Government led by Premier Ted Ballieu.

.2) A white hand flier with red text calling on the people of Ballarat to attend a meeting at Ballarat Trades Hall to fight TAFE cuts.

Both items are authorised by Jeremy Smith NTEU UB branch President and Brett Edgington BTLC President.