Vocational Education and Training

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): Can the Premier perhaps outline to the house how many fewer places will be provided next year under the program than were provided in 2009, the baseline year?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:13): I'll bring back an answer on that question, sir but—

Mr Knoll: You were confident about it yesterday.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, I remain confident. The funding levels are higher than pre Skills for All funding levels. Those opposite are frequently heard to bleat about the level of debt and deficit. They're always lecturing us about government expenditure. We had a government program that had a beginning and an end.

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It was an expensive program, a valuable program, because it skilled up South Australian workers, but, nevertheless, it had a beginning and an end and—

Ms Redmond interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Heysen is warned to first time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —it did more, in fact, then we promised it would do; in fact, it did it faster than we promised it would do it. So, instead of delivering 100,000 places—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Instead of delivering 100,000 places, we did well over 110,000 places. It went on for a very considerable period of time and it now has come to an end, so instead of continuing it in the fashion that seems to be implied by the question at levels greater than levels that approximated the Skills for All period, we have brought it back to the period prior to the existence of Skills for All. We don't seek to hide that. It is a significant adjustment which will have big effects on the training industry, but it must have been known that this project had in its objectives the training of 100,000 places. That has been achieved and we now revert to more normal levels of funding.