Vocational Education and Training

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:41): The challenge for governments is to focus on the things that matter to the wellbeing of its people, the business and the economy of its state, and at the coming election there is and extraordinary choice—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Minister—

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —between a government that has—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, take your seat for a moment, please. The entire house listened quietly and patiently while the Leader of the Opposition delivered his grievance. The Minister for Education will be afforded the same privilege.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Sir, it is very difficult for them. They are very angry and they display all sorts of behaviours on a regular basis, and the casual viewer of the parliamentary Hansard service can just see it again. Discipline in the parliament, control of emotions and behaviour in the chamber—these are hallmarks of this government alongside delivery of a program of works to support the people of South Australia. The opposition walking around, shouting, that is what they do and that is what they enjoy doing.

At any rate, delivering for businesses and a workforce that is capable of delivering prosperity for South Australia and, indeed, providing opportunities and wellbeing for young people seeking training and education opportunities are key hallmarks of what we are seeking to do in this government. Reforms that have already been delivered and are continuing to be delivered by the Marshall Liberal government in supporting vocational education and training are significant.

Since the last election, we have turned around 16 years of the Labor government's dismal record in vocational education and training, of declining rates of engagements between schools and businesses, of work experience programs that were almost non-existent and of apprenticeships and traineeships at nation-plummeting depths. Today, South Australia is number one for increases in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, and not just since we have come to government, but year on year.

There has been a 37 per cent increase in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships just in the 2019-20 period. We have developed 26 Flexible Industry Pathways that are capable of being delivered across all our schools. Each one of our schools is able to deliver an outstanding program of vocational education and training that will put students on a pathway to a job. These have been designed in collaboration with our Industry Skills Councils. These have been designed with quality VET in mind and quality that is suitable for the delivery to school students and a pathway to a job.

I am very pleased to provide the house with the information that next year 270 Flexible Industry Pathways will be offered across our public schools in South Australia alone. Many of those 26 Flexible Industry Pathways are being delivered by upwards of a dozen schools across South Australia, each one of them forming a fantastic hub for that vocational education and training. It is a comprehensive approach. It will see all students across South Australia given quality VET.

This contrasts dramatically with the absolutely ramshackle policy delivered by the opposition, where they are going to build new classrooms at five schools, call them technical colleges and expect all the businesses and all the RTOs to come and deliver their programs there, uprooting the work that has already been done to get students out of the school and into the workplace in areas where that can work.

Labor has promised $35 million worth of new classrooms for schools. They are calling them technical colleges. What business and industry have told us is that it is not the model they want. What RTOs have told us, including RTOs named in Labor's policy, is that Labor never spoke to them about this policy because, if they had asked them, they would have told them, 'That's not how we deliver the vocational education training that is needed. It is a focus group policy. It sounds good. It will actually not deliver results.'

What will it mean for the schools, the 270 Flexible Industry Pathways across the public school system in South Australia, when Labor removes support for the approach that we have delivered? What will it mean for the $25 million a year in funding that we have invested in VET in schools in South Australia, to take that away and instead invest it in the five schools that Labor wants to invest in? It would be disastrous.

What will happen to the additional $3.2 million a year that we have invested to support government schools to implement Flexible Industry Pathways? Has Labor considered the impact on how they will deliver VET without the $600 this government has paid for each eligible student with a School Card pursuing VET as part of a Flexible Industry Pathway?

We know that Labor's record on vocational education training is dismal—nation-leading plummets in commencements in apprenticeships and traineeships. We have seen their record on TAFE, where, as a result of the 2017 disasters, they sacked the chair of the board, they accepted the resignation of the chief executive but, indeed, promoted the minister to deputy leader. Labor has a long way to go to understand even the basics of training policy in South Australia. The policy they released for the next election demonstrates they have no interest in the matter.

Sir, I submit to you that this is a government that is achieving results, that this is a government that has delivered already for South Australia and will continue to do so. Labor's alternative policy offers nothing more than sound bites and an unwieldy framework which will fail the people of South Australia, fail our students and fail our businesses.