Campus campaign

By MARA PATTISON-SOWDEN
A COMMUNITY forum has been arranged to discuss the future of education and training for people who live in the Yarra Ranges, after Swinburne University’s shock decision to shut down the shire’s largest education provider.
Students are still rallying with a massive petition circulating throughout the region.
They have reached 10,000 signatures and are hoping to have 11,000 before they present the petition to Parliament on Wednesday 12 September.
Monbulk MP and deputy Opposition leader James Merlino announced last week he had tabled the biggest Monbulk petition in his 10 years in Parliament – a Save Swinburne Lilydale petition with 2789 signatures.
That followed a petition that Opposition leader Daniel Andrews tabled to save TAFE and reverse the budget cuts with a massive 25,242 signatures.
The community forum comes after students at the Lilydale campus were told they may have to finish their studies elsewhere because the campus would be closed by July 2013.
Business, community and political leaders were unaware of the shock announcement on Friday 6 July where staff were advised more than 240 jobs would be axed across the Swinburne University network.
Swinburne University campus at Lilydale has catered to large number of students across the Yarra Ranges and it is not the only education facility in the area to be affected by the funding cuts.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Graham Warren said Swinburne University’s recent announcement that it would be closing the Lilydale campus had been met with widespread shock, disappointment and anger.
“The council has been working with the community to look to the future and to advocate for our region,” he said.
“We do not want young people or anyone else looking for further education to be disadvantaged by access to tertiary education and training.
“There are so many stories of young people, others looking for a career change or even mothers returning to the workforce who have had access to education and gone on to enjoy success in their careers and in the community.”
Cr Warren said the public forum would form part of an ongoing campaign to ensure tertiary opportunities for the outer east.
“This forum will be an opportunity to discuss the needs and future of tertiary education in our region,” he said.
“We will continue to work to advocate for further education in our region.”
Healesville student and Swinburne Student Union representative Aime Watson said a lot of background work had been going on but students were continuing on as usual at school.
“People have just been trying to concentrate on their work but we need to maintain the energy,” she said.
The students are organising a freeze flash mob at Federation Square on Friday 28 September where they want as many supporters as possible to turn up and pull a “flash mob”.
Ms Watson said people could find out how to get a T-shirt on the Save Our Swinburne Facebook page, and turn up at around 1pm where members of the crowd take off their top layer to reveal the flash mob T-shirt of support, which she hopes will get widespread media interest.
She said the last 600 signatures she had counted were mostly from the Healesville, Olinda and Mount Evelyn areas.
Mr Merlino said the state government had underestimated the impact of cuts to TAFE across the state.
“In the Yarra Ranges and Knox areas and all across the state Mr Baillieu’s TAFE cuts are causing pain,” he said.
“Businesses across the Yarra Ranges, the outer eastern metropolitan region and beyond into regional Victoria know that Swinburne delivered employment outcomes – jobs for students and employees for local businesses.”
The community forum will be held at 5.30pm on Wednesday 26 September at Mt Lilydale Mercy College Centennial Hall, 120 Anderson Street, Lilydale.
An agenda for the forum will be available from the Yarra Ranges Council offices soon.