In the past, when TAFE had guaranteed funding and trained more than 95 per cent of all students, this wasn’t such a bad thing. But today, when TAFE has separate “business units” that need to be “agile” and “respond to demand” while competing against “private delivery” of courses, a centralised model hardly seems like a bright rosy future.

My concerns about the future of TAFE will not be new to readers, but it is increasingly clear that my predictions and fears were more than just a figment of my imagination.

Is it just me, or are others noticing that the economy is increasingly being described as a living breathing thing. Apparently the economy can be “strong” or “weak”.

Apparently it can be “buoyant” or “resilient”. It can “face adversity” and it can “deliver outcomes”. It can “produce wealth” and “create jobs”.

Now forgive me, but isn’t the word economy just an expression of many financial issues and most certainly NOT a living breathing thing?

So why would we give the economy a sense of life/living? Well the truth is this, being humans, we are less likely to want to injure, hurt or damage another living creature.

This in turn makes it reasonable or rational for a Government to sack, sell and destroy whatever they want, to “protect” the economy and in turn, we all simply nod our heads and say OK. How absurd this all is!

The economy is a financial concept, not a “being”!

So be sure to have a giggle next time you hear the economy referred to as a living creature.

And to follow on from this point, why the heck does the nightly news show the stock-market update, the international currency exchange, and on some channels, even cross “live” to the floor of the Stock Exchange. I mean, who really cares?

Does anybody see that market update on the news and rush to the phone/internet to place an order to buy or sell?

Does anybody rush to the phone/internet and make a sudden decision to travel because the Australian dollar is up or down?

Especially now that we are at the end of the financial year, beware of scammers phoning to let you ‘know you have a tax refund’ or ‘you owe the ATO money’.

These people claim they are from the Tax Office and spin a great yarn – they are very convincing. They might even give you a phone number to ring them back on.

Don’t! These operators are from overseas which is why it is proving nearly impossible to shut them down.

Remember – the Australian Taxation Office do not phone people unsolicited or ask you to confirm information over the phone.

If you get any phone call from someone saying they are the ATO – hang up. If you are unsure if the call was legit, ring the ATO on 13 28 61 to verify.

You can call my office on 4991 1466, or email me at cessnock@parliament.nsw.gov.au or call in to 118 Vincent Street (PO Box 242), Cessnock 2325.