Two weeks before the South Australian election a Labor led Senate committee inquiry into the South Australian TAFE shambles has reported a single recommendation; “that the government establish a comprehensive review of Australia’s entire VET sector with a view to achieving adequate and sustainable ongoing funding levels, appropriate controls on private providers and a coherent and supportive policy framework.” What like the inquiry Labor’s Tanya Plibersek says she will establish in government?

Government committee member Lucy Gichuhi and Sarah Hanson-Young for the Greens (both senators for SA) had a different view.

“The South Australian government received a windfall from the federal government to build its workforce under National Partnership Agreements for skills reform. The outcomes are that the number of government funded training places has halved since 2013.  The rapid decline in the allocation of funding from 2012–2017 due to the inefficient management of places has undermined the capacity of the VET sector to respond to the State’s workforce needs. The South Australian government has failed to adequately monitor compliance with national standards required to access funding.^”