The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:54): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to make amendments to various acts, and to repeal various acts, for the purposes of the 2018 state budget. Read a first time.

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (15:20): My question is for the Minister for Education. Can the minister advise the house whether students at Tea Tree Gully and other TAFE campuses will continue to be supported in their training?

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister outline to the house the benefits of the government's response to the TAFE Strategic Capability Review and related measures contained in the budget?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Thank you, sir. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to talk about TAFE and the way that this government has stepped in to rescue TAFE from the dilapidation and the disarray in which it was left by those opposite. A $109 million rescue package was necessary for TAFE SA due to the work of the Labor Party in destroying that proud institution over a long period of time.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (11:25): I am so pleased to be able to speak on this motion. The recent election had a number of points of contention between the two parties, the Liberal Party and the Labor Party, in the propositions that we put to the people of South Australia. For nearly the last four years, ever since the remissions on the ESL were removed by the former Labor government, one of the clear differences between the Liberal Party and the Labor Party has been an understanding that the people of South Australia were being hit hard in their household cost of living by the former government's decision to remove the remissions.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (16:39): I have great pleasure in rising to speak on the Appropriation Bill for the first time as Minister for Education in this Marshall Liberal government. It is an honour to serve in this way and one that I take very seriously indeed. The children of South Australia, the young people of South Australia and the students of South Australia are at the fore of our minds. We have a grand ambition, a bold ambition, to deliver great things in our schools, our early childhood settings, our training institutions and of course our universities in South Australia. We would like to see every child in every classroom in every school in South Australia supported to grow to their full potential and achieve their potential in life and in their education.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome) (14:36): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister please advise the house on the progress of primary school children attending non-government schools in the electorate of Frome being able to get access to the state government school bus system? With your leave and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: There have been occasions some families are experiencing where the child attending a public high school can access the government school bus system while their brother or sister, who may be attending a non-government primary school, cannot access the state government school bus system and has to follow in their parent's car.

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (24 July 2018). Can the minister guarantee that John Pirie Secondary School will receive $10 million under the Building Better Schools Infrastructure Program and be able to progress with plans to build new facilities for the middle school precinct, indoor/outdoor learning areas, refurbishing and extending performing arts facility and improving building exteriors, as outlined on the Department for Education and Child Development's website?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education): I have been advised of the following:

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: TAFE SA has a proud history of delivering quality vocational education and training to help South Australians gain the skills they need to embark on a new career. Equally important has been TAFE SA's role in helping South Australian businesses and industries to fill their skills and workforce needs in order for them to prosper. Recent years have seen significant and well-documented difficulties, highlighted by the Skills for All blowout and last year's ASQA audit turmoil. Traineeship and apprenticeship numbers have dramatically declined, and confidence in quality needs to be restored.

Ms BEDFORD: With interest in and promotion of STEM subjects well and truly underway, what thought is being given to the other side of brains and the importance of the humanities and, perhaps, similar emphasis on LAMP subjects, subjects like language, arts, music and philosophy?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:54): I am very grateful to the member for Florey for that outstanding question because it is important that we do pursue a strong STEM strategy. It's possibly one of the few particular focuses of the former minister that I have given credit to: the STEM strategy, STEM Works facilities, infrastructure projects that are being rolled out and, indeed, development in STEM PD for teachers. So there has been some good work.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (17:36): I am very pleased to be able to speak on the Summary Offences (Disrespectful Conduct in Court) Amendment Bill. This is, of course, a piece of legislation that the Attorney-General brought to this house having previously raised a number of matters that are contained in the bill in the House of Assembly in previous years—I believe a couple of years ago as a private member's bill. It has come back to the house in relation to a range of matters, some of which have been brought forward in the public consciousness with respect to matters that have happened in other jurisdictions and some of which, indeed, are matters that have been particularly pertinent in South Australia.