LABOR has renewed its calls for Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee to publicly debate the future of TAFE in the Upper Hunter, after he failed to attend a community forum in Scone.
Shadow Minister for Skills and TAFE Jihad Dib has called on Mr Lee to visit the Upper Hunter with him.
"The minister should join me in the Upper Hunter to debate this issue, which deeply impacts the region," Mr Dib said.
He wrote to Mr Lee on April 6, but hasn't received a response.
Mr Lee said in a statement he would "not get involved in Labor's scaremongering tactics" and that the sale of Scone campus "has been debated in Parliament on numerous occasions".
"The member for Lakemba is well aware the sale is on the agenda to be discussed again in Parliament during the next sitting week," Mr Lee said.
"This year the NSW Government has injected a record budget of $1.97 billion into TAFE NSW as we turbo charge our focus on jobs and skills. The $4 million sale of the second Scone campus at 2 Flemington Drive will help to bolster investment in the area.
"I will always act in the best interest of the community. I will not react to Labor and their pathetic attempt to mislead the people of Scone."
Mr Dib, NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay and Shadow Minister for the Hunter Clayton Barr held a community forum in Scone on March 31, the day after Mr Lee confirmed Racing NSW had bought the 17.9 hectare site with a three-year lease agreement.
Mr Lee did not attend the forum.
"The minister or a government representative didn't even have the decency to attend the [March 31] meeting and have failed to give the community a chance to speak about their concerns," Mr Dib said.
"This government must be held to account after making false claims about the sale of Scone TAFE and the future of TAFE in NSW."
Ms McKay said community members at the forum said that no consultation had taken place, despite the minister claiming otherwise.
"The sale of this important pubic asset is devastating for the community and should have been discussed extensively, not sold off under the cover of controversy and in the middle of a skills crisis," she said.
Labor said it will refer the sale process to the Auditor-General, work to establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into the sale of campuses and fight to ensure the sale proceeds are kept in Scone.
