News

Under threat ag colleges could be thrown lifeline

James Nason 29/08/2012

Students from the Emerald campus of the AACC. Two long-running agricultural colleges facing likely closure by the Queensland Government due to  deepening financial losses could be thrown a privatisation lifeline.

Beef Central has learned that a group of rural industry stakeholders, led by western Queensland cattleman and indigenous training program leader Boyd Curran, has begun discussions with the Queensland Government about the possibility of privatising the management and training delivery at the colleges.

The colleges in question are the Longreach and Emerald campuses of the Australian Agricultural College Corporation (AACC).

Established in 1967 and 1971 respectively, the Longreach and Emerald colleges were merged with the Australian College of Tropical Agriculture (with campuses at Burdekin and Mareeba) and the Dalby Agricultural College by the then Labor State Government in 2005 to form the AACC.

An audit by accountancy firm Ernst and Young, commissioned by agriculture minister John McVeigh and released last week, showed the AACC has not operated at a profit since it was established, and revealed that it is likely to post a $6.8 million loss this financial year.

The Dalby campus is understood to be now operating as a residential facility for the Dalby State High School, while the Burdekin campus has been leased to the Uniting Church.

Minister McVeigh, blaming the AACC’s losses on ‘gross financial mismanagement’ by the former Labor Government, has stated that the six-month old Liberal National Party (LNP) Government will continue to work with peak farm bodies, TAFE and the Education Department to ensure agricultural training continues.

However, with the Newman Government on a cost-cutting drive and the AACC set to run out of funding by the end this year, according to the Ernst & Young audit, the prospect of permanent closure looms large for the loss-making Longreach and Emerald colleges.

A serious bid for privatisation could change that outlook.

It would offer the Newman Government a potentially attractive opportunity to manoeuvre out of a politically-sensitive situation by removing the financial risk of owning the corporation from its balance sheet, without having to shut down training facilities of high importance to Queensland agriculture and the LNP’s rural support base.

When approached by Beef Central about the rumoured privatisation bid yesterday, Mr Curran acknowledged he was keen to see the Emerald and Longreach campuses continue to deliver agricultural training as resident colleges. However, he would not confirm if he was in discussions with the Government.

“The main message at the moment is that I have had discussions with people who are passionate about agricultural industry who want to ensure that both colleges remain open as residential facilities,” Mr Curran said.

“We will be looking to work with Government and industry to do everything we can to ensure they stay open and to ensure they deliver the training that is required, not just for tomorrow but for where we believe our industry will be in 20 years.”

Mr Curran brings to the equation a strong history in successful training delivery through his work providing life and vocational training to indigenous people through the Lawn Hill and Riversleigh Pastoral Holding Company and the Beyond Billabong organisation over the past 12 years.

He said the challenge was to provide training and educational courses that were ‘relevant and real’, training that was recognised as industry leading throughout the world and added value to Australian agriculture by educating the future leaders of the industry.

“I went on a Churchill Fellowship around the world two years ago and visited some of the world’s leading educational facilities, and I believe we can take the very best learnings and systems from these organisations and implement them here in Australia.

“We have always based our business on attracting the best people, people who are extraordinary, and providing the best systems and support to allow them to perform in their role and then hold them accountable for delivering.

“We encourage all our people, our staff and our students, to set high goals, to be the very best they can be, we create a culture of success.”

He said his interest in the future of the colleges was separate from his work with Beyond Billabong, an award-winning training program for indigenous people from remote communities where industry partnership programs place 97pc of indigenous participants into apprenticeships or traineeships.

“In the work we have done with Beyond Billabong we have been involved with training some of the most disadvantaged people in Australia and it is something I feel very strongly about.

“People have always queried me as to why we only do training programs for indigenous people.

“And it’s a really simply answer to that. We’ve never had the opportunity or been asked to deliver training for mainstream people. The colleges have the potential to be regional hubs that deliver world leading educational and training courses however this will only occur with Government and Industry support and a robust business model that has strong partnerships and the very best people involved in education and training.”

Minister McVeigh is due to front community consultation meetings in Longreach and Emerald to discuss the future of both colleges next week.

With the enrolment period for next year fast approaching, delays in finalising the future of the colleges are contributing to the growing uncertainty surrounding their future.

The longer the current cloud lingers over the colleges, the less likely it is that sufficient enrolments for 2013 will be secured, and the less likely they will remain as residential colleges.

Beef Central was waiting for a response to questions regarding the privatisation plan from Minister McVeigh's office at the time of publishing this article.

 

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