"From a distance, these items can look very real. If someone reports a firearm to police, then we treat it as a genuine threat, and we respond accordingly." ...

A Sydney TAFE campus was forced into lockdown on Tuesday after a person was pictured walking through it with an item that resembled a gun.

TAFE teachers are at breaking point as surging enrolments, complex student needs and ageing campuses pile pressure on an already stretched workforce.

A Coalition government led by Peter Dutton would scrap fee-free TAFE after it was revealed just 13 per cent of students have completed their courses. The waiving of fees for the vocational education ...