There is rising concern among Queensland agricultural industry groups that they are now expected to pay for access to training materials, much of it developed by themselves over the years.
Alongside that is a lack of current courses that industries such as sugarcane growers need to qualify their workforce for the season ahead.
The situation has arisen since the state government decided in June last year to transfer the Queensland Agricultural Training Colleges' intellectual property and training resources to TAFE Queensland as the most appropriate government training body.
Although the topic was regularly discussed with the QATC transition Project Management Office throughout 2019, the Rural Jobs and Skills Alliance said it only became aware of the full implications of the transfer early this year.
Its chairman Ian Atkinson said the process had been less than transparent and would likely have an adverse effect on market competition.
While there are provisions for the potential Registered Training Organisations negotiating arrangements at the now-closed Longreach and Emerald Colleges to have access to the resources for 12 months, the government said fees would apply for other Queensland-based skills development groups wanting to make use of the material.
RJSA project manager Diana Saunders said the issue was not with TAFE being the repository for the knowledge but with industry having access to it.
"RTOs work in regional and remote Queensland and respond to need," she said.
"We don't want these resources not to be used because they're too expensive.
"We think they should stick to the plan we were originally told, of an open arrangement with RTOs and of working with those already in the region."
Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said the decision contained provisions that potential RTOs negotiating arrangements at Longreach and Emerald would have access to IP and training resources for a period of 12 months, including the 2020 academic year.
"It was agreed that other RTOs would be able to negotiate with TAFE Queensland, as the owner of the resources, to obtain access for the purposes of future training and that fees would apply as TAFE updated and modified the resources."
It was when Canegrowers Mackay applied early this year to TAFE Qld to access the learning resources for its cane haul-out course that it met resistance from TAFE in providing the resources without a fee.
This was despite the fact that TAFE had no intention of revising or developing the materials for the benefit of the sugar industry, CEO Kerry Latter said.
The important and locally facilitated haul-out course, which provides training for new employees for the crushing season each year, and others such as an agricultural chemicals training course, were originally developed by Canegrowers and the sugar industry, and were finessed by the agricultural colleges and QATC in order to secure accreditation.
"After some considerable argy-bargy, our written paper trail was established and TAFE made available the resources," Mr Latter said.
The cost otherwise would have been $2500 a year.
Mr Latter said Canegrowers Mackay was surprised and concerned by these actions to date.
"The sugar industry is an essential industry as stated by the Queensland government early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
"However, TAFE Qld has not approached Canegrowers Mackay to deliver the necessary training we require to ensure that we have a qualified workforce for the crushing season.
"In fact, TAFE Qld is acting as an impediment to rural training within our industry.
"We have indicated in writing our interest in continuing these programs for the benefit of the industry as the government requested last year.
"We should not now be charged for access to our own programs.
"Nor should these programs be charged at a figure which makes the training unaffordable to the people who we are endeavouring to train for our industry."
Going forward, he said all sugar industry training materials and resources should be given to the industry and its commercial RTO to deliver in order to ensure that they had the necessary workforce for the crushing season.
RJSA chairman Ian Atkinson had a similar request in his letter to Mr Furner in early May, asking for interested RTOs to be able to access resources freely until the end of December 2020.
The move has been described by the LNP as a Palaszczuk government power grab.
Opposition agriculture spokesman Tony Perrett said it was bad enough that Minister Furner closed the agricultural colleges without a plan to train the next generation of farmers.
"Now we have a power grab by the Palaszczuk Labor government in attempting to bolster failing TAFE numbers at the expense of local expert trainers.
"Labor is trying to fill their budget black hole by charging new training providers who just want access to all-important knowledge and intellectual property left over from generations of ag education."