WorkReady

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:33): By way of supplementary question, can the minister assure the house that the TGSS only conditions on that list in relation to private providers is not being used as a non-subsidy based method of strengthening the viability of TAFE, and that the changes she talked about, the 900 to 500, are being driven by client need and not by the need to prop up TAFE?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:33): TGSS is subsidised, so that is subsidised training, and in some cases it is unlimited. If children enrol in a number of those courses it will be subsidised, so it is demand driven by students, their interests and their needs rather than the service provider, the RTO provider. Some of that TGSS is provided in TAFE, but I know that a lot of it is provided by private providers. But, as I said, it is driven by student choices and not RTO choices, and it is pretty much demand driven, not in all qualifications though.