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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-29 Daily Xml
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Question Time

PANORAMA TAFE

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education. As it is now 24 hours since the minister's answer to my question regarding the closure of Panorama TAFE, can the minister now advise the house whether a meeting was held with the staff of the Panorama TAFE and whether they were advised of its pending closure? In the house yesterday, the minister stated:

If there has been a meeting held at Panorama and staff have been advised that the campus is closing, I am unaware of that meeting and I am unaware that that advice was given to staff contrary to the advice that I have been given by my chief executive of DFEEST as recently as 24 hours ago. I will be having a discussion with him in relation to the question that has been asked, but I am of the firm view that the advice that has been given to me consistently over the last two weeks in relation to that particular site is accurate.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:11): I met with Mr Raymond Garrand, the chief executive officer of DFEEST, at approximately 10.30 this morning with a view to obtaining further advice on that particular issue. He informed me that no meeting has occurred in which there was any discussion about the imminent closure of that particular TAFE site. I would just like to add—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will not tolerate a repeat of yesterday's performance.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned and can consider it a first and final warning.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: If I might add, Mr Speaker, this year we have committed $70 million to the upgrading of TAFE facilities ($50 million for physical infrastructure and $20 million for a new student information service to deliver e-training) and created an additional 56,000 new training positions at a cost of $157 million; and we are now experiencing a 30 per cent increase in enrolments over last year. This is not an indication of a state government in retreat from its obligations to the TAFE system. It is a firm commitment to an increasing role by the state government in this sector.

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