APY Lands, Trade Training Centre

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:35): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Can the minister advise how the trade training centre on the APY lands is supporting young people to gain qualifications and boost job opportunities?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for the Public Sector) (14:35): I do just return from my visit to the APY lands, which is my first as an adult. I had gone as a child to Mimili when I was about eight but other than that had not had the privilege of visiting the APY lands. I had an extraordinary few days travelling some thousand kilometres by car around to three of the communities plus Umuwa.

The trade training centre is what could have been a white elephant. It is a very large shed in the middle of Umuwa, which is essentially not lived in by Anangu, and it has facilities to allow training in automotive repairs, metalworking and woodworking, and it has a very large commercial kitchen for hospitality as well as a seminar room. In fact, it is far from being a white elephant. It has been an extraordinary place for Anangu to receive training and also for non-Anangu people living in the area to receive training. It is a facility that is used by various RTOs, including TAFE, and in the 2½ years it has been in place it has had nearly 600 enrolments and some 73 graduations with complete certificates to date.

So, what happened just two days ago is that we had a graduation for the students who had graduated to date in those 2½ years, and that is important not just because every student who graduates ought to have the opportunity to have a graduation ceremony but to emphasise both to the students and to the community that this is a solemn and serious event where their young people have made a decision, not only to make themselves stronger through education but to make their community stronger.

To be privileged enough to be part of that ceremony to sit and watch numerous Anangu go across the stage to be handed their certificate, to have several students use those to contribute towards their SACE—and one student from Mimili was there to receive her certificate as part of having completed her SACE—it was an extraordinary privilege. It reminds me that, while there are many complications and many difficulties on the lands, there are also lots of stories of strength and hope, particularly when the Anangu community itself is sitting behind the projects.

What I saw was a community that understands how important it is, not simply for training for its own sake but training in areas where there will be employment on and off the lands, and obviously with hospitality the possibility of working in various services on and off and into the Northern Territory at the five-star catering level and at the production of lots of meals for aged-care services and so on, that is an extremely useful skill for employment in the future. So, I was impressed, it was a privilege, and I wish all of those who have graduated and are still on their way to graduating every success.