WorldSkills Australia

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:56): My question is to the Minister for Industry and Skills. Will the minister update the house on the WorldSkills Australia event held in Sydney over the weekend?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Industry and Skills) (14:56): It was a pleasure to visit the WorldSkills fair in Sydney over the weekend. From the minute I walked in the door, I could hear the drop saws, I could hear the nail guns, I could smell the timber shavings—I was at home. It was terrific to meet the talented group of young South Australians who competed in the WorldSkills Australia event. Seven of those contestants were recipients of medals. This is an outstanding achievement for South Australia.

I congratulate the following winners. Oliver Horvath won a silver medal in carpentry. It is amazing to watch the students as they are competing. They are very focused, although I did get a thumbs up from Oliver as he glanced over. I noticed he had a fan watching him as he was cutting mitres on the drop saw. Gianni Zumpo won a silver medal in wall and floor tiling, and Taylah O'Brien won a bronze medal in graphic design. I spoke with her during the lunch break. She was very nervous and concerned that what she was doing was not going to win or get her a placing. Congratulations to Taylah on her bronze medal.

Chole Anne Dyker won a bronze medal in retail bread. She is amazing. She is from Gawler South Bakery. The thing that surprised me, seeing that most bread is made from a packet, is that she had to put all the ingredients together. She had to do a rye batch, a sourdough batch and a mixed grain batch. The loaves looked terrific. If anyone wants to see how they looked, go to my Twitter site, where there is a terrific photograph of the loaves on display. Jayden Ballantyne won a bronze medal for electrical installation, Joshua Jantosh won a bronze medal in turning and Kerry Ham won a bronze medal in construction steel.

There were 10 other South Australians competing over the weekend. In welding there was Jake Spokes, and in bricklaying there was Andrew Adams. Andrew is in the fourth year of his apprenticeship, and he was competing with 12 other apprentices. He was doing some terrific work. When I spoke to him, he said he really enjoys standing back and admiring the work he has done. In joinery, there was Timothy Berry; in painting and decorating, Damian Trembath; in plumbing, Liam Waldhuter; and, in vehicle painting, Luke Alexander. Luke had a Boyzone cheer squad, and his partner was there from Adelaide cheering him on as he was competing in his competition.

In retail butchery was Corey Stone from Athelstone Meats, and it was the very first time he had left Adelaide in a plane—it was terrific—and he was trimming the fat. I was thinking that he could have done some work in Mr Lucas's office. Of course, in welding there was Dominic Tucker; in fitting, Angus Altschwager; and, in cabinet-making, Mitchell Muller. The skills event in Sydney is Australia's biggest vocational education event and an excellent competition.