Regional Vocational Education and Training

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:21): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister inform the chamber about the centenary celebration of VET in Murray Bridge recently?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:22): I thank the honourable member for his question. It was a pleasure to represent the Minister for Education, Training and Skills, the Hon. Blair Boyer, at the Murray Bridge Centenary celebration of VET a couple of weeks ago.

It was a great opportunity to catch up with Mayor Wayne Thorley from the Rural City of Murray Bridge, Mayor Simone Bailey from Mid Murray Council and Mayor Paul Simmons from Coorong District Council was also there, if I remember correctly, as well as other community leaders—Councillor Mat O'Brien—as well as many TAFE staff and students, both past and present. I have had a real interest over many years in the Murraylands region, as members may be aware, and have been a frequent visitor, both during my time as minister and prior to that.

As Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, I am very aware of just how important the region is to the agricultural sector in our state, and the important role that Murray Bridge and its surrounds has and will continue to have as a key region for population growth, with ambitious plans to house many thousands more people through the recently announced Gifford Hill development, which is a private development but certainly of great interest to local people.

With Murray Bridge and the Murraylands firmly looking forward to the opportunities that await in coming years, it is important that we take time to reflect on the history of the region and those who built it over the last century. With that said, it was a fantastic afternoon on the lawns of the TAFE campus in Murray Bridge recently. It was an opportunity to celebrate the incredible contribution that TAFE and VET have made to the Murraylands over 100 years, but more importantly to celebrate the people who have devoted their lives and careers to developing critical and life-changing skills within their communities.

As part of the celebrations, a time capsule from the 75^th anniversary was opened and, alongside Mayor Thorley and a TAFE executive, it was an honour to announce its contents to the gathering. Time capsules are a fascinating way of preserving history and, with the early 2000s no doubt making some of us feel like that wasn't that long ago, in fact it made us feel a little old because it didn't seem like it was that long ago. A copy of the Sunday Mail from 7 November 2004 was in the capsule, with Delta Goodrem on the front page alluding to her love for 'Scud' Philippoussis, and Lleyton Hewitt telling us why he had to leave home.

The time capsule also contained a bottle of local wine, course guides and documents, a photo of the staff at the time, some CDs—I am not sure some of the younger participants at the event actually knew what they were—and also a poem written by one of the management team from the campus in 2004, aptly titled Ode to a Time Capsule.

The author of the poem, Dr Tom Haig, has since retired from TAFE and is now a councillor for the Rural City of Murray Bridge and was present on the night. He read the poem beautifully in his dulcet Scottish tones, and you can't help but wonder if he knew 20 years ago when he put the poem in the capsule that he himself would be present 20 years later to give such a great reading of it, still a leader in his local community.

Of course, with the time capsule from the 75^th anniversary coming out of the ground it was important to have one for the 100^th anniversary go back into the ground for those in the next generation to open in 25 years' time, in what will no doubt be very different times.

Vocational education and training will continue to have a critical role in training the workforce our state requires. Our government has recognised the importance of the sector, particularly in regional South Australia, with the Regional Skills Development Fund, which ensures TAFE SA can offer more courses in rural and regional South Australia that align with the needs of the local industry as well as government priorities. We have also invested in fee-free TAFE to support industries facing skills shortages as well as those experiencing growth.

It is fair to say this is a very different approach to TAFE than those opposite took in their four years in government, and one I am confident will make a difference not only in metropolitan Adelaide, where students often have a far greater choice on how and where to study, but importantly in regional areas where TAFE and VET are such a critical part of the community across so many aspects of life, including retaining young people in the regions who want to remain there and study there. I congratulate TAFE SA and the Rural City of Murray Bridge for organising a fantastic event.

To finish, I also want to mention the students from Murray Bridge High School. They had a fantastic musical performance on the afternoon which was just outstanding, and I believe they had been involved in doing that throughout the afternoon. It was really remarkable and very much appreciated. Well done to all concerned.