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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-11-19 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

PANORAMA TAFE

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (10:32): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: Unfortunately, I am away this afternoon.

Mr VENNING: On a point of order, I question whether standing orders allow for ministerial statements during private members' time.

The SPEAKER: Leave can be given for a ministerial statement at any time, as long as there is an interruption in business, which is why I did not let the minister make the statement once the business had been called on. The minister has been given leave.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: Yesterday, the member for Unley and the Leader of the Opposition directed questions to me in relation to the future of the Panorama TAFE campus. On 28 October, the member for Unley asked whether a meeting with staff had been held at Panorama TAFE where they were advised that the facilities at Panorama would be closed.

On 29 October, I informed the house that the CEO of DFEEST had advised me that no meeting had occurred at which staff were advised of the imminent closure of the Panorama TAFE campus. I have had further discussions with the CEO of DFEEST subsequent to yesterday's questions from the opposition. Mr Raymond Garrand has assured me that, based on written assurances he has received from TAFE management, no directive was issued to staff at Panorama TAFE that the campus would close.

I can confirm that, on 2 September, the Education Manager of Mechanical Engineering and Transport for TAFE Adelaide South Institute met with mechanical engineering staff at Panorama TAFE. This was a specific meeting held by the education manager for a specific discipline with the staff responsible for the teaching of that discipline at Panorama TAFE. This meeting followed a similar meeting held the previous day at Noarlunga TAFE. The rationale for both meetings was to discuss the implications of the successful $4.7 million bid for the engineering and manufacturing program at Noarlunga through the commonwealth government's Better TAFE Facilities Fund.

I have been informed by Mr Raymond Garrand that at both these meetings potential changes to the engineering program were discussed, including the establishment of Regency Park campus as the lead centre for the program and feeder sites at Noarlunga and Marleston campuses. Discussion did take place on the possible relocation of engineering programs from Panorama TAFE within the context of gaining maximum benefit from the $4.7 million commonwealth grant for engineering and manufacturing programs.

I have received written confirmation from the education manager who chaired this meeting that his comments focused specifically on the engineering program and that at no time during the meeting did he advise engineering staff that the Panorama campus would close. I might add that such an announcement would not be his to make, given his very specific responsibilities, which are confined to the delivery of engineering in TAFE Adelaide South.

The member for Unley has referred to the minutes of this meeting. I have been advised that no formal minutes of the meeting were taken. Rough meeting notes were prepared by a junior administrative officer. I understand that the opposition has these rough notes in its possession and has potentially misled the house by claiming them to be formal minutes of the meeting.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: The notes are not presented in such a manner that they could be construed as formal minutes and are not labelled as such. In these notes, there is a statement: 'Panorama campus to exit in 2010.' The notes then go on to state, 'At the current time, mechanical/civil will be relocating to Marleston.' The exit referred to is the engineering program. I have been informed that, even in respect of this program, a final decision has yet to be made.

To restate: a meeting was held on 2 September at Panorama TAFE but was conducted by an education manager with staff in that very specific discipline in relation to the possible consequences for that discipline flowing from a successful grant application of $4.7 million, again for the teaching of that discipline.

The opposition has seized on the rough notes for that meeting where the potential relocation of that specific discipline was discussed and assumed, erroneously, that the relocation applied to the campus as a whole. I believe that the opposition has misled the house by claiming that minutes—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —were taken of the meeting.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister cannot make allegations that anyone has misled the house. He needs to withdraw that allegation.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: I withdraw the allegation.

The SPEAKER: Is that the conclusion of the minister's statement?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: Yes, sir.

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