TAFE SA Shearing and Wool Program

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:51): Supplementary: is the minister suggesting that you would rather see young people who may be adept with their hands and could make great shearers but not particularly good scholars, on the dole than actually pursuing a career that former president, the Hon. Bob Sneath, was very passionate about?

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) (14:51): That's an outrageous assertion and completely offensive. What I said—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister has the floor.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: That's an outrageous assertion. It just shows how ignorant the Hon. Terry Stephens is. What I did say, and you can go back and check Hansard, is that I support training providers ensuring that they provide adequate assessments to students applying for a particular qualification to ensure that they have the adequate prerequisites they need to be able to successfully complete their qualification and not end up another statistic unsuccessful completion and back on the scrap heap. That's what I said.