Abstract:
This paper reviews long-standing policy debates about the control and administration of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in Western Australia. Between 1976 and 1986 a series of inquiries has produced several agendas for reform which have not yet materialised owing to state government ambivalence, TAFEteacher opposition and bureaucratic disagreements within the State Education Department. Yet the rationale for reform, emphasising improved community-TAFE linkages, and enhanced responsiveness and efficiency within TAFE, has been pervasive. Reform examples from other States also have been influential. Recent government public sector reviews appear likely, however, to produce significant governance reforms in education generally.