The State Liberals have again criticised the Government for its mishandling of TAFE and the training sector, today highlighting data from the Auditor-General’s Report showing tens of millions of dollars spent on Targeted Voluntary Separation Packages (TVSPs) between 2012 and 2017.

The State Liberals have labelled as totally unacceptable the fact the Nous Group, the private consultancy hired to resolve TAFE SA’s accreditation scandal, won’t be starting its investigation until the middle of February.

The 2017 NAPLAN final results for South Australia confirm the fears raised by the Opposition when the preliminary results were released earlier this year: Labor has failed our school children, leaving them at the back of the class compared to other states.

Shadow Minister for Education John Gardner has slammed the Weatherill Labor Government’s failure to set up a dedicated hotline for students affected by the TAFE SA accreditation scandal.

The Weatherill Labor Government’s habit of using TAFE SA as a dumping ground for Labor hacks is a significant contributing to the chaos engulfing the organisation.

The State Liberals are demanding the Weatherill Government incorporates private sector training providers in the solution to the TAFE scandal and rules out delaying a return to contestability for the provision of training courses.

The State Liberals are demanding the Weatherill Government picks up any additional costs of students caught in the middle of the TAFE accreditation scandal following a scathing report from the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).

The State Liberals are demanding Education Minister Susan Close tender her resignation as a consequence of the TAFE accreditation scandal engulfing the Weatherill Government.

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (17:29): The opposition has considered a number of the matters put forward by the Standing Orders Committee. I believe that the committee gave relevant consideration to a number of issues that have been in the sessional orders for some time. It is apparent from the report, and as advised by the Speaker, that the committee took the view that it was appropriate to incorporate. This is problematic. 

The State Liberals have welcomed today’s announcement regarding increased funding to non-government schools in South Australia.