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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-04 Daily Xml
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Vocational Education and Training

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:21): My question is to the Premier. Has the government received advice that the Skills for All funding arrangements left TAFE SA exposed to legal risk of litigation and federal penalties?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:21): The cabinet has taken into account all of the advice and is absolutely certain that it is on strong footing in introducing the reforms that it is undertaking. Indeed, these reforms—

Ms Redmond: That wasn't the question.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Heysen is reminded she is on one warning.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: One needs to remember that, across the nation, the skills and higher education sector is largely comprised of government-run training organisations: TAFEs. As it happens, South Australia is further down the path of introducing a competitive set of arrangements than almost any other jurisdiction, with the possible exception of Victoria.

The context of this question is anticompetitive conduct and the advice that we received about how Skills for All should apply and how new arrangements would apply. All of these arrangements are in the context of us moving towards a more competitive model, and South Australia is further down that process of transition than any other state or territory, so it is passing strange that people are advancing against us suggestions that somehow we are in breach of some competitive model when we are further advanced than any other state or jurisdiction.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: These arrangements that are put in place are the next step—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned a second time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Contestability was opened up in a more substantial way under Skills for All. It will continue in a more substantial way as we transition TAFE to this new competitive environment where basically you will have the TAFE sector competing on an equal footing with the non-government and private sector for what are—

Mr Knoll interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —essentially commercial courses and it will get a community service obligation and subsidies for what are regarded as non-commercial elements of their operation. That is the model we're moving towards. We are advancing along that path—

Mr Pederick: It's the Kim Jong-un version.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —and the advice we have is that we are on sure ground in implementing the arrangements that we have.

Mr MARSHALL: Supplementary?

The SPEAKER: Before the supplementary, I call the member for Hammond to order for his interjection that it was the Kim Jong-un version and I call to order the member for Schubert.

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