TAFE SA Audit

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (14:56): My question is to the Minister for Higher Education and Skills. Can the minister confirm what appears to be the case from her ministerial statement that 100 per cent of the TAFE courses audited by ASQA were found to be noncompliant?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Higher Education and Skills) (14:56): That is correct, and that's why I have taken the step of making sure not only that TAFE responds appropriately to the questions raised about those 16 but also that we have an independent assessment of the capacity of TAFE to undertake its own internal auditing processes. They have those processes in place, and indeed they assure me that those processes have previously identified some of the issues that are repeated in the ASQA report.

Nonetheless, it is a cause of concern for me that all of the courses that ASQA looked at had a variety of issues raised. While ASQA themselves pointed out that it is not unexpected for large TAFE organisations (or TAFE-like organisations) to have a number of compliance issues, I am concerned, and therefore need to ensure myself on behalf of the people of South Australia that the internal auditing process is working well. Once we have received that report, we will make a determination about how to respond.