Education and Outreach Officer Program

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (15:13): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Why is the government discontinuing the education outreach officer program which supports school students' interactions with our major cultural institutions?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Higher Education and Skills) (15:13): The department has for some time been working with the various institutions that have housed teachers employed by the department, such as the Zoo, the Museum, and so on. The department's discussions with those institutions have been about whether that is the most effective way of making sure that kids are having access to the kind of education services that those institutions are looking for.

There have been negotiations over some time about whether some would prefer to have the direct grant from the department so that they are able to employ people directly and that, largely, has occurred. I am yet to hear any complaints from those institutions about that not being satisfactory for them, but my door is always open.