New political party registers in Victoria to make education free.
Free TAFE Free Uni today submitted its political party registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission.
The party’s mission is to make education free, highlighting the economic burden of the current system.
The party commits to running candidates in every seat in the November 2026 Victorian state election, and plans to register federally in May.
PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
New political party registers in Victoria to make education free.
Uni used to be free. It’s time to roll back the clock.
"When government makes opportunities for any of the citizens, it makes them for all the citizens… We are all diminished when any of us are denied proper education. " Gough Whitlam
Melbourne, VIC // 27 Jan 2026. Today, Free TAFE Free Uni submitted its party registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission. With over 1,000 enrolled voters as members, it clears the minimum threshold for registration of 500 members. Its membership consists primarily of students, teachers, and those who benefitted from the Whitlam era of free education.
RMIT student and party secretary Thomas Dolan announced on TikTok and X the party’s intention to run candidates in every district and region in the next Victorian election: “Victoria is no longer the education state, and it’s pretty clear why. Student debt is compounding the impact of the cost of living crisis. With no legislation protecting employees from AI enabled displacement, the traditional economic bargain no longer makes sense. With the pro education factions within the major parties silenced, it’s clear that change needs to come from outside the two party system.
RMIT student and party secretary Thomas Dolan announced on TikTok and X the party’s intention to run candidates in every district and region in the next Victorian election: “Victoria is no longer the education state, and it’s pretty clear why. Student debt is compounding the impact of the cost of living crisis. With no legislation protecting employees from AI enabled displacement, the traditional economic bargain no longer makes sense. With the pro education factions within the major parties silenced, it’s clear that change needs to come from outside the two party system.
Free TAFE Free Uni will leverage electoral pressure to make the 2026 state election the education referendum. By standing candidates in every lower house seat, Free TAFE Free Uni will allow voters will to signal that education can no longer be ignored, that student loans can no longer subsidise the mining industry. Given the broad support we have received, we have a real chance of winning the fifth seat in two to three upper house regions, and with the balance of power in the upper house, ensure that future legislation is in the interests of all who wish to receive an education. It’s time to make education free again.”
The party was formed over the course of five months, with the party’s volunteers manning stalls outside university campuses and train stations in Melbourne, signing up over 1,000 enrolled voters for the cause. The registration comes amid rising student debt and record HECS indexation, with average graduates facing repayments amounting to 4.8% of their annual pre-tax salary.
According to Australian Taxation Office data, almost 3 million Australians now carry student debt, with total outstanding HELP loans around $81 billion and an average debt of about $27,640 per person. More than half of those with HELP debt owe over $20,000 and nearly a quarter owe more than $40,000. Recent reforms will wipe roughly $16 billion in debt for around 3 million borrowers, and changes to indexation have reduced annual increases. Meanwhile, domestic higher education enrolments reached around 1.09 million in 2024, with new commencements growing by over 4 percent.
Lines attributable to party secretary Thomas Dolan:
Education is the sea in which democracy swims. When access is restricted, our democracy weakens.
We have to ask ourselves, do we want to be more like America, or more like Whitlam’s vision of what Australia could be? We have forgotten Gough’s dream of accessible education.
Media contact: media@freetafefreeuni.org
Melbourne, VIC // 27 Jan 2026. Today, Free TAFE Free Uni submitted its party registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission. With over 1,000 enrolled voters as members, it clears the minimum threshold for registration of 500 members. Its membership consists primarily of students, teachers, and those who benefitted from the Whitlam era of free education.
RMIT student and party secretary Thomas Dolan announced on TikTok and X the party’s intention to run candidates in every district and region in the next Victorian election: “Victoria is no longer the education state, and it’s pretty clear why. Student debt is compounding the impact of the cost of living crisis. With no legislation protecting employees from AI enabled displacement, the traditional economic bargain no longer makes sense. With the pro education factions within the major parties silenced, it’s clear that change needs to come from outside the two party system.
RMIT student and party secretary Thomas Dolan announced on TikTok and X the party’s intention to run candidates in every district and region in the next Victorian election: “Victoria is no longer the education state, and it’s pretty clear why. Student debt is compounding the impact of the cost of living crisis. With no legislation protecting employees from AI enabled displacement, the traditional economic bargain no longer makes sense. With the pro education factions within the major parties silenced, it’s clear that change needs to come from outside the two party system.
Free TAFE Free Uni will leverage electoral pressure to make the 2026 state election the education referendum. By standing candidates in every lower house seat, Free TAFE Free Uni will allow voters will to signal that education can no longer be ignored, that student loans can no longer subsidise the mining industry. Given the broad support we have received, we have a real chance of winning the fifth seat in two to three upper house regions, and with the balance of power in the upper house, ensure that future legislation is in the interests of all who wish to receive an education. It’s time to make education free again.”
The party was formed over the course of five months, with the party’s volunteers manning stalls outside university campuses and train stations in Melbourne, signing up over 1,000 enrolled voters for the cause. The registration comes amid rising student debt and record HECS indexation, with average graduates facing repayments amounting to 4.8% of their annual pre-tax salary.
According to Australian Taxation Office data, almost 3 million Australians now carry student debt, with total outstanding HELP loans around $81 billion and an average debt of about $27,640 per person. More than half of those with HELP debt owe over $20,000 and nearly a quarter owe more than $40,000. Recent reforms will wipe roughly $16 billion in debt for around 3 million borrowers, and changes to indexation have reduced annual increases. Meanwhile, domestic higher education enrolments reached around 1.09 million in 2024, with new commencements growing by over 4 percent.
Lines attributable to party secretary Thomas Dolan:
Education is the sea in which democracy swims. When access is restricted, our democracy weakens.
We have to ask ourselves, do we want to be more like America, or more like Whitlam’s vision of what Australia could be? We have forgotten Gough’s dream of accessible education.
Rights free access to photos and video footage of the launch video can be accessed here: LINK.
Media contact: media@freetafefreeuni.org
Education is the sea in which democracy swims. At one point, we all knew this. Our politicians have since forgotten it. When we invest in education, we invest in every Australian. For over a decade we lived by that belief. In 1974, Gough Whitlam made tertiary education free, allowing any Australian, regardless of their wealth to get a tertiary education. The results were transformative: children of working class families became doctors, teachers, and engineers, while the nation became smarter, fairer, and more ambitious.
This era of open opportunity didn’t last. In 1989, the Hawke government introduced the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) and with it debt crept in under the promise of 'sharing the cost'. Since then, across both major parties, fees have climbed with each budget cycle, while indexation allows the debt to spiral, and the idea of education as a public good has been replaced with the language of loans and liabilities. It is time to roll the clock back to when education was an investment in the future generations.
Free TAFE Free Uni today submitted its political party registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission.
The party’s mission is to make education free, highlighting the economic burden of the current system.
The party commits to running candidates in every seat in the November 2026 Victorian state election, and plans to register federally in May.
Melbourne, VIC // 27 Jan 2026. Today, Free TAFE Free Uni submitted its party registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission. With over 1,000 enrolled voters as members, it clears the minimum threshold for registration of 500 members. Its membership consists primarily of students, teachers, and those who benefitted from the Whitlam era of free education.
RMIT student and party secretary Thomas Dolan announced on TikTok and X the party’s intention to run candidates in every district and region in the next Victorian election: “Victoria is no longer the education state, and it’s pretty clear why. Student debt is compounding the impact of the cost of living crisis. With no legislation protecting employees from AI enabled displacement, the traditional economic bargain no longer makes sense. With the pro education factions within the major parties silenced, it’s clear that change needs to come from outside the two party system.
Free TAFE Free Uni will leverage electoral pressure to make the 2026 state election the education referendum. By standing candidates in every lower house seat, Free TAFE Free Uni will allow voters will to signal that education can no longer be ignored, that student loans can no longer subsidise the mining industry. Given the broad support we have received, we have a real chance of winning the fifth seat in two to three upper house regions, and with the balance of power in the upper house, ensure that future legislation is in the interests of all who wish to receive an education. It’s time to make education free again.”
The party was formed over the course of five months, with the party’s volunteers manning stalls outside university campuses and train stations in Melbourne, signing up over 1,000 enrolled voters for the cause. The registration comes amid rising student debt and record HECS indexation, with average graduates facing repayments amounting to 4.8% of their annual pre-tax salary.
According to Australian Taxation Office data, almost 3 million Australians now carry student debt, with total outstanding HELP loans around $81 billion and an average debt of about $27,640 per person. More than half of those with HELP debt owe over $20,000 and nearly a quarter owe more than $40,000. Recent reforms will wipe roughly $16 billion in debt for around 3 million borrowers, and changes to indexation have reduced annual increases. Meanwhile, domestic higher education enrolments reached around 1.09 million in 2024, with new commencements growing by over 4 percent.
Lines attributable to party secretary Thomas Dolan:
Education is the sea in which democracy swims. When access is restricted, our democracy weakens.
We have to ask ourselves, do we want to be more like America, or more like Whitlam’s vision of what Australia could be? We have forgotten Gough’s dream of accessible education.
Rights free access to photos and video footage of the launch video can be accessed here: LINK.
Media contact: media@freetafefreeuni.org
Media enquiries
Interview Requests
Journalists and content creators seeking comment from Free TAFE Free Uni are invited to contact the party secretary via media@freetafefreeuni.org, or to submit an enquiry using the adjacent form.
Launch Content and Brand Assets
This folder contains approved launch materials and brand assets, including high resolution images, copies of launch videos, selected TikTok content, and photographs taken during the party’s registration process.
All quotes may be attributed to the party secretary, Thomas Dolan.
Media enquiries
Interview Requests
Journalists and content creators seeking comment from Free TAFE Free Uni are invited to contact the party secretary via media@freetafefreeuni.org, or to submit an enquiry using the adjacent form.
Launch Content and Brand Assets
This folder contains approved launch materials and brand assets, including images, copies of launch videos, selected TikTok content, and photographs taken during the party’s registration process.
All quotes may be attributed to the party secretary, Thomas Dolan.
Help make education free.
New political party registers in Victoria to make education free.
New political party registers in Victoria to make education free.
We’re forming Free TAFE Free Uni to insert education back into the national debate. By joining, you’ll help us to register federally, and in your state.
Free TAFE Free Uni today submitted its political party registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission.
The party’s mission is to make education free, highlighting the economic burden of the current system.
The party commits to running candidates in every seat in the November 2026 Victorian state election, and plans to register federally in May.
Free TAFE Free Uni today submitted its political party registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission.
The party’s mission is to make education free, highlighting the economic burden of the current system.
The party commits to running candidates in every seat in the November 2026 Victorian state election, and plans to register federally in May.
Media enquiries
Interview Requests
Journalists and content creators seeking comment from Free TAFE Free Uni are invited to contact the party secretary via media@freetafefreeuni.org or to submit an enquiry using the adjacent form.
Launch Content and Brand Assets
This folder contains approved launch materials and brand assets, including high resolution images, copies of launch videos, selected TikTok content, and photographs taken during the party’s registration process.
All quotes may be attributed to the party secretary, Thomas Dolan.