National Skills Agreement

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:30): Supplementary: in relation to the $1.4 billion the government has announced that this government will invest in the agreement, was any of that already in the forward estimates of the state budget, and, if so, how much?

The Hon. B.I. BOYER (Wright—Minister for Education, Training and Skills) (14:31): I thank the member for Morialta for his question. In terms of precise figures, I think it's $690 million of uplift or money that is new over and above what we would have already been spending as a state—that is new. Of that, I think $440 million, from memory, is state. The difference between the $440 million and the $690 million figure is federal government new money to put together a total uplift in the vicinity of $690 million of new money.

As I said before, upon preparing to make this announcement today with the commonwealth, we asked the agency, the training and skills part of the Department for Education, about how long it had been since we had seen an increase in new money uplift like that in South Australia, and they went back—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: Two years ago.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: No, that wasn't their answer. Their answer was they went back as far as they could and they can't, in living memory, remember an increase like this.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: The biggest increase, in fact—

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Florey, order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: The biggest increase that the department—this is the agency responsible that has done a lot of the grunt work in the negotiations. I think it's a good opportunity for me here today to pay tribute to the people in the training and skills department for the huge body of work they have done in the last few months to come to an agreement in a relatively short period of time.

Let's put this in perspective: we have been a government for about 18 months, thereabouts; the Albanese Labor government for a shorter period than that. This is the second National Skills Agreement we have signed in that time—that's how serious—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: —we are about this. We announced twelve and a half thousand fee-free places for South Australia alone—

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: —at the end of last year, twelve and a half thousand fee-free places for South Australia alone at the end of last year, ten and a half thousand of those to TAFE, 2,000 to be shared by for-profit and not-for-profit training providers, and they are basically all gone. They are all gone, all used already, and we have now signed up to new fee-free TAFE places as well. So I won't accept any kind of—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: In fact, I am reminded that the former skills minister I think was unable to secure an agreement with the federal government at all. When I came to the role there was no agreement.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Unley! Member for Florey! The minister has the call.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: I will put it as simply as I can: four years, no agreement; 18 months, two agreement. Four year, no agreement; 18 month, two agreement.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: I cannot make that any simpler for you over there. Four year, no agreement; 18 month, two agreement.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, please be seated. The member for Morialta is making a spirited contribution. It is, however, contrary to the standing orders; he is warned for a final time. The minister has the call.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: I think I will conclude my remarks there, thank you.