Gerry Brownlee National Education Spokesperson

3 October 2001

Competition banned under Labour

National's Education spokesperson Gerry Brownlee says the Government's plans to rid the tertiary education sector of competition will be bad news for students.

In a leaked recommendation from the fourth TEAC report, the Commission recommend that 'no further funding be extended to private tertiary providers...where the desirability test reveals duplication between public and private providers, the onus should be on the private providers to demonstrate that their programmes or activities are complementary rather than competitive'.*

In Parliament this afternoon Mr Brownlee questioned Tertiary Education Minister Steve Maharey about the Government's plans for the future of Private Training Establishments.

"The anti-private provider mentality of this Government betrays its rhetoric on focusing on excellence and encouraging success.

"This plan goes hand in hand with Trevor Mallard's oxymoronic comments last week that 'secondary schools will have to be less competitive but still focus on excellence'.

"It is competition that delivers better quality and better services. Labour wants to take New Zealand back to the days of state-controlled monopolies with little regard for the quality delivered," Mr Brownlee said.

Ends

* Recommendation 9

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