Baillieu bunfight

Angry protesters to take on Premier over TAFE cuts

UNIONS plan to gate-crash a business event in Geelong to be attended by Premier Ted Baillieu on Friday to protest at cuts to the TAFE sector.

Mr Baillieu is due to speak at a state regional business convention on Friday hosted by the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI).

The Australian Education Union and the National Tertiary Education Union, together with Geelong Trades Hall Council, has hastily pulled together a community rally to coincide with the conference at the Mercure Hotel.

Organisers hope the numbers attending will rival a previous rally in Geelong four months ago, which attracted about 1500 protesters to Johnstone Park.

It’s expected anywhere near that many people on streets around Mercure Hotel could cause traffic snarls.

Trades Hall secretary Tim Gooden said the protest would involve teachers, union mem- bers and staff at The Gordon, who wished to send a clear message to the Premier on the effects of the cuts in the Geelong region.

‘‘Mr Baillieu gracing us with his presence is an opportunity to say there is a continuing and large opposition to that Government policy and we’d like it reversed,’’ he said.

‘‘We believe he’ll be here Friday but we’re not particularly fussed if he’s there or not because we need to put the message to VECCI as well.’’

Mr Gooden said State Gov- ernment cuts to the TAFE sector would have wide-reaching ramifications throughout Geelong business and industry.

‘‘Employers need the trained workers as much as the workers need a job,’’ he said. ‘‘They’ve got to think about their own businesses and where they are going to get the skilled people in the future.’’

The rally is also planned to take aim at Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews, who will also be in Geelong for the VECCI convention.

Mr Gooden said the ALP had failed to guarantee the cuts would be reinstated if it won an election.

‘‘Their strategy to win is to make the other side look bad when they should be putting up policy to win the vote,’’ Mr Gooden said.

‘‘Labor did start the semiprivatisation of the TAFE system, even though Baillieu is actually doing the final cut to funding and putting them on a ‘so-called’ equal footing to the private sector.’’ ERIC Clapton’s bank balance was given a huge boost when his painting by German artist Gerhard Richter sold at auction for a recordbreaking $33.53 million.

The musician put the abstract work, called Abstraktes Bild (809-4), under the hammer at Sotheby’s auction house in London, and the sale was expected to attract up to $18.5 million.

But it was snapped up by an anonymous buyer just five minutes into the auction.

Clapton, 67, bought the painting with two others i n 2001 for $2.98 million.