PANORAMA TAFE

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education. Will the minister confirm that a meeting was held with staff of the Panorama TAFE where they were advised that the facility is to close, and what is the future of the 2,500 students currently enrolled? The CEO of DFEEST, Ray Garrand, told ABC Radio on 16 October that the department has reviewed TAFE campuses and found around 50,000 square metres more than required. The minister also admitted on ABC Radio on 21 October—

The Hon. K.O. Foley interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr PISONI: —that the election was a factor in delaying any announcement.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:19): In relation to the earlier question asked by the Leader of the Opposition, I have been informed that it is business as usual for engineering at Panorama, and the issues alluded to by the member for Unley are largely as a result of the state government receiving $14.63 million from the commonwealth government—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —from the commonwealth government to upgrade TAFE sites in the metropolitan area and through regional South Australia. Now—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will not be ignored. When I call members to order, particularly when I call them to order by name, I expect them to heed my order. The member for Unley is on his last warning. The minister.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: As I said, the commonwealth government has allocated $14.63 million to the South Australian TAFE system under the Better TAFE program. What we are effectively doing is moving courses to TAFE facilities that have been upgraded as a result of the $14.63 million from the commonwealth. Now, to me that sounds like a smart thing to do. It may not sound—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will take his seat.

Mr GRIFFITHS: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, the question was quite specific about the future of Panorama, and, indeed the 2,500 students currently enrolled there—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr GRIFFITHS: —and the minister has not referred to that at all in the answer.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Just before the minister—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister is answering the substance of the question and he is not engaging in debate. The question refers to, in particular, an explanation for the shifting of courses at TAFE. The minister is in order. The minister.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: As I said, we have received $14.63 million from the commonwealth under the Better TAFE program. We are upgrading a number of facilities around the metropolitan area. The clever thing to do is to take courses from less than perfect existing TAFE locations and put them into the locations that have been upgraded as a result of commonwealth funding. In relation to the very specific question about the future of Panorama—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: In relation to the specific question about a possible closure of that site, no, a decision has not been made. To my knowledge—and I will seek advice on this, because it is contrary to everything that I have been told by DFEEST—if there has been—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: If there has been a meeting held at Panorama and staff have been advised that that campus is closing, I am unaware of that meeting and I am unaware that that advice was given to staff contrary to the advice that I have been given by the chief executive officer of DFEEST as recently as 24 hours ago. I will be having a discussion with him in relation to the question that has been asked, but I am of the firm view that the advice that has been given to me consistently over the last two weeks in relation to that particular site is accurate. The proposition that has been—

Mr Venning interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —tendered by the member for Unley is erroneous in the extreme.