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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-07-20 Daily Xml
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TRADE CADETSHIPS

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:53): I rise to ask a question of the Minister for Education. What impact will the commonwealth government's announcement earlier today regarding trade cadetships have on young South Australians?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development) (14:54): I thank the honourable member for her question. I think it is her first question to me in this house, and I congratulate her for her interest in this important matter.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Just a few hours ago prime minister Julia Gillard announced that under a re-elected federal Labor government year 9 to 12 students looking for a trade career will be able to undertake trade cadetships in a national curriculum from 2012. This will mean that school students who want a career in a trade will have a more clearly defined pathway that is equal in quality, value and rigour to traditional academic career paths.

This is a particularly welcome announcement here in South Australia because it will complement the changes we have already made to our SACE system to make sure that young people are prepared for work and community life. We wanted to make sure that young people had the opportunity to be better prepared for the highly skilled jobs available in the emerging and revitalised industries in our economy—

Mr Goldsworthy interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Kavel will be quiet or go outside.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —and the new opportunities, Madam Speaker, that I know you are aware of in areas such as defence, mining, health and electronics.

The new SACE means that our students will largely be able to achieve their secondary certificate through VET subjects. This is a big step forward, opening up the door to students to choose both academic and VET pathways to increase their work opportunities for the future. These reforms now fit incredibly well with the announcements that prime minister Gillard has just made. This is just another reminder about the importance of the re-election of a Gillard government for South Australia. It also fits with the commonwealth government's massive investment in South Australia to provide trade training centres as part of our education and training infrastructure.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I know that those opposite do not want to hear about these trade training centres, because we have heard from the leader of the federal opposition that they are in jeopardy.

Mr PENGILLY: I have a point of order, Madam Speaker. I believe the minister is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold that point of order. The minister.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am just trying to be heard above the commotion over there because they are very rowdy today. Under the trade training centres program $87 million is available for about 90 state schools in a number of clusters in South Australia to support—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Yes—the trade training of young people. There is an opportunity for thousands of young people to gain better skills for better jobs at schools everywhere across the state.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: I have a point of order, Madam Speaker. The minister has just confirmed that the matter to which he is referring is 100 per cent federal government funded. It is a federal government policy announced by prime minister Gillard. What responsibility does the minister have to the house for a fully funded commonwealth program and a federal government policy? There is not a cent of state government money in it and the minister does not have a responsibility to the house.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold that point of order. In the context of his answer it is okay.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the Minister for Transport!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: As I continue it might be worth explaining—because, obviously, it is not clear to the member for Davenport—that this money will be spent in South Australian schools. These are South Australian programs delivered by South Australian teachers for South Australian children.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: You are not responsible.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Of course I am responsible. We are responsible for building these things. We would casually like to know whether the $87 million we have told schools they are about to get from the federal government will be there after this federal election. We know from Tony Abbott that the programs that we have are at serious risk.

What we know is that construction work has already begun in nine groups of schools, while contracts have been signed with eight other groups of schools. So new trade training support will be provided for students in places such as Peterborough High School, Henley High School and Underdale High School.

However, trade training centre projects in the remaining clusters, in areas such as Blackwood High School (which I thought might interest the member for Davenport), Coober Pedy Area School (which might interest the Speaker), Edward John Eyre High School, Glossop High School, Mount Compass Area School and Pasadena High School, are all at risk if the Abbott government were to be elected. This is what is at stake.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: You're joking.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: No, I'm not joking. This comes out of the mouth of the man who would seek to be the prime minister of this country. He is seeking to say that he would cut funding for trade training centres in these areas, so the programs which have not yet been rolled out across South Australia—the expectations created across 90 schools—will now be dashed. This incredibly important program, which is being built on today by prime minister Gillard with the announcement of her cadetships, is going to be at jeopardy. This is what is at stake in this election. It will mean fewer opportunities for young people to learn skills using modern equipment, fewer apprenticeships and, in the longer term, a less skilled workforce.

I know that those opposite are not interested in an education system that ensures that young working-class people can get a future for themselves by getting a trade and going on and delivering themselves a future. I know that the present opposition minister for education is not prepared to stand up to his federal colleague on this. He is not prepared to stand up for South Australia. He is prepared to sit there and allow the federal opposition leader to announce this set of cuts to a program—

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order. The deputy leader.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker. The minister has been debating this for a number of minutes already. I think that it is time that it was brought to his attention that he is not supposed to be debating in question time.

The SPEAKER: I do not think the honourable member has a point of order there, but would the minister like to finish his reply? He has finished. The member for Davenport.

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