State refuse to reveal how many students enrolled in under-threat equine courses at Richmond TAFE

In a move Federal MP Susan Templeman has described as “disgraceful” the NSW government has refused to reveal how many students enrolled in under-threat equine courses at Richmond TAFE during the last four years.

Protestors turned out against equine course closures at Richmond TAFE in February

The government is looking at closing at least 4 of the 5 equine courses at Richmond TAFE, citing low enrolment figures, but they refuse to make those figures public.

The government knocked back a GIPA this week – a freedom of information request officially known as an Information Access Application – from a Hawkesbury resident who asked for the enrolment numbers. She is now going to the Information Commissioner to have that decision to deny the enrolment numbers release examined.

MP Templeman told the Post the government needed to, “come clean about what’s really driving its decision to end equine studies here, and who’s going to benefit.”

The five courses have been under threat since NSW Minister for Skills and Training, Alister Henskens, revealed what he said was a 92% drop in enrolments, a number repeated by Hawkesbury Liberal MP Robyn Preston.

Minister Henskens said at Budget Estimates earlier this month that, “if the students are not enrolling we can’t make them, if they are choosing to go elsewhere to perhaps do courses with RacingNSW, that is their decision”.

As it happens, it has been rumoured for the last two months that RacingNSW has bought a major Hawkesbury landholding but when we asked the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer, Graeme Hinton, about that he categorically denied any purchase.

Scone TAFE, which also ran equine courses, was sold by the State government just over a year ago to RacingNSW, and those campaigning for the Richmond courses to remain open fear a similar future for Richmond TAFE. Hawkesbury MP Robyn Preston has previously told us the sale of Richmond TAFE is not on the cards.

The GIPA was put in by Ebenezer resident Pip English whose daughter was on one of the Richmond TAFE courses, to get sight of the enrolment numbers for 2019 to 2022.

But despite MP Preston being in possession of the numbers – she told us in February “I’ve got the facts in front of me and there is a 92% drop in attendance” – and senior bureaucrats working for the NSW government also having access to them, Ms English’s request was refused on the basis it would take as many as 21 hours of work to collate and produce the numbers.

The other reason for the refusal was because TAFE operate in “a competitive environment”, and were the figures to be released, that could benefit other registered training organisations (RTO) by supplying them with competitor information, said the refusal notice.

We asked TAFE NSW how the allegedly low and in some cases allegedly zero course numbers at Richmond could possibly be of benefit to any competitor, were they to be true. They did not answer our question.

Ms English asked for enrolment numbers for Certificate II in Racing Industry, Certificate III in Performance Horse, and said she was “in particular interested in the number of students that were enrolled for 2022 intake, when the [Performance Horse] course was suddenly cancelled in December 2021”.

She also asked for the numbers for Certificate III in Racing (Stablehand), Certificate III in Racing (Trackwork Rider), and Certificate IV in Farriery.

The Farriery course looks like the only one to be continued at Richmond TAFE, with Minister Henskens saying at the Budget Estimates enquiry, “the farriery courses [there is only one at Richmond] are continuing”.

He also said no final decision has been reached on the other courses but under questioning from Labor MLC Courtney Houssos at Budget Estimates, said, “my advice is that there has been a 90% reduction in enrolments in the course. Those courses are under review as a consequence of those low enrolment numbers”.

Ms Houssos said, “you know you are being disingenuous when you say that. There was a decrease because of an industry induction course required in 2016.

“You’re cutting 4 key courses there [Richmond TAFE]. In 2016 there were 434 enrolled in a mandatory industry induction program – that is why there was such a decrease.”

“If we look at the figures over a shorter period of time you know there is not a 92% decrease. Why are you cutting these courses at Richmond?”

A government bureaucrat, Mr Brady, told the Budget Estimates, “the point that is missing is that RacingNSW established its own RTO in 2019 and what we’ve seen is the students have chosen to go to that training organisation and others rather than the TAFE course. Since then we’ve tried a number of measures to increase enrolments. The fact is it has gone elsewhere.”

Ms English – along with industry experts, students and teachers – says the Richmond courses are crucial to our area, which is a centre of equestrian pursuits and businesses, and that the courses also form the backbone of a practical approach to horses, which is important given the animals are potentially dangerous due to their size and weight.

Over 1300 people have so far signed a petition against cuts to equine courses at Richmond TAFE.

“Horse skills cannot be learned solely online, albeit there are a plethora of private organisations offering online only,” says Ms English. “This is clearly unsafe.

“My daughter is enrolled at Richmond TAFE Equine Unit, studying Certificate II in Racing, “ she told the Post.

“She was successfully enrolled in the 2022 Certificate III in Performance Horse, which is more her area of interest than Racing, and was devastated to have it cancelled just prior to Christmas 2021. Administration at Richmond TAFE suggested she enrol in the Cert II Racing instead, as the course content was partially the same.

“I considered sending her to Tocal Ag College which is the only other NSW venue to offer the Cert III in Performance Horse with a practical component.

“Tocal is over a two-hour drive away. My daughter is only 17 and does not have a drivers licence yet. We also do not wish to have our family unit broken up by sending her away to study, when Richmond is a short drive from our home. Tocal also only caters for students that already have a very sound riding ability, and only accept (I believe) 18 students a year, out of hundreds of applications. Their focus is also specialised – it’s on stock horses – and does not cover Racing or Performance Horse training.”

“The lack of transparency about the decision to close Richmond TAFE’s equine unit is disgraceful,” Ms Templeman said.

“I continue to receive emails from heartbroken students and their families who have benefitted enormously from being able to study these courses at Richmond TAFE.

“Given the role the equine industry plays in our local economy, this is a short-sighted and damaging decision for the Hawkesbury.

“The NSW Government needs to come clean about what’s really driving its decision to end equine studies here, and who’s going to benefit.”

Government fails to answer questions

Here are our questions to TAFE NSW, and their reply.

Our questions:

1. Given the equine courses are being closed at Richmond TAFE, how would information about no or low enrolments – if that is indeed the case – be considered useful to a competitor?

2. MP Robyn Preston, who we interviewed recently, told us she had the numbers in front of her, and she freely quoted some of them to us. Why has she been handed the numbers and not a member of the public who puts in a GIPA?

3. The person who applied for the information via the GIPA was told another contributing factor in refusing the request was it would take around 21 hours of work to compile the figures. Why can’t they simply hand over the figures already handed to the MP?

4. Can you give us the numbers of enrolments for each course from 2019 to 2022?

TAFE NSW response:

TAFE NSW is currently consulting with employees about the future of four equine courses at TAFE NSW Richmond.

The consultation process is ongoing.

Over the coming 12 months, the NSW Government will invest a further $1.5 million in TAFE NSW Richmond for a new veterinary clinic, agricultural livestock facilities and equipment, and a Connected Learning Point.

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