PANORAMA TAFE

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education. If a meeting with staff of Panorama TAFE has not been held, as detailed in the minutes referred to by the member for Unley, how does the minister explain that the minutes of the meeting of 2 September and a letter with signatures of staff from the Panorama TAFE were faxed to Mr Stephen Conway of the department? In the document signed by the staff it is stated, 'In essence, the Panorama campus will be lost to the delivery of education and training.'

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (15:07): I have requested access to the minutes. I do not know what they—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: It has been brought to my attention that there is a set of minutes, which I have never sighted, and selected extracts have been quoted. I do not know the context. I have been given advice by my chief executive officer that no meeting occurred at which a specific directive was given to the staff at the Panorama college that the college would be closing. I have taken that advice in good faith, as would be expected.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: The statement that I gave previously to the house was that I took advice from the chief executive officer in which he informed me unequivocally that no meeting had occurred with staff at which a clear direction was given that—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will take his seat for a moment. The member for Unley is warned a second time. The minister.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: So, I stand by the advice that was given to me. That is all I can rely upon. I will be seeking access to the minutes and, if the minutes contain information that is at variance with the advice that I have tendered to the house, I will return. However, at this particular juncture, I will rely on the information and advice that has been provided to me by my chief executive officer, and that is that at no meeting was a clear direction given to the staff or the students of Panorama TAFE that that TAFE would be closing.