A new TAFE SA Bill 2025 will be introduced into parliament this week that will enshrine the requirement for TAFE SA to deliver on government and industry priorities and will be required by law to deliver in the public interest for the first time.
This bill delivers on the Malinauskas Labor Government's election commitment to rebuild TAFE SA.
Importantly, the Bill will authorise TAFE SA to issue barring notices to people for offensive, threatening, abusive or insulting conduct, including against TAFE SA staff or students.
In exceptional cases, a person may be banned from entering TAFE SA grounds for a maximum period of two years.
Under the changes, TAFE SA will become a statutory authority, instead of its current structure as a statutory corporation.
Importantly the Bill will require TAFE SA to implement a business plan and statement of priority mechanism, to replace the current Ministerial Charter and Performance statements required under the Public Corporations Act 1993. This is key to ensuring the Government's expectations and aspirations for TAFE SA are addressed and that as an accountable public institution, TAFE SA is underpinned by strong governance, effective leadership and a commitment to public interest and educational excellence.
TAFE SA will be the first TAFE nationally to be required in legislation to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to provide training and education appropriate to address the needs of individuals and their communities – ensuring TAFE plays its role in Closing the Gap.
Other key amendments in the Bill include bringing direct industry experience, and direct experience in the education, training sectors and employment sectors to the Board's membership; and improving responsiveness to rapid and emerging challenges and opportunities in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, for example, in automation and AI.
Under the Bill, as the public provider of VET, TAFE SA will focus on improvements to the student experience and deliver on the Government's strong commitment to improve access to training and skills development in regional and remote communities, ensuring more students get to study where they live.
TAFE is often the only option in rural and regional communities as it is not financially viable for non-government providers to deliver, making TAFE SA crucial. Under the changes, the importance of regional delivery is enshrined in legislation.
The TAFE SA Bill reflects the expectations all South Australians rightly have on their public provider to deliver high-quality training and support services right across South Australia – training that would otherwise not be delivered. It's an expectation only placed on the public provider, and it's backed by record funding our government is providing for TAFE SA
The Bill fulfils the government's commitment to rebuild TAFE SA and delivers on a recommendation of the Roadmap for the Future of TAFE SA Report by Associate Professor Jeannie Rea, which outlined the repositioning of TAFE SA and reforms to functions, governance and management structure.
Engagement with industry, unions, government, TAFE SA staff and students provided insights to ensure TAFE SA continues to deliver in the public interest and government priorities.
Feedback has informed refinements to the Bill's objects and functions, TAFE SA Board responsibilities, Chief Executive responsibilities, TAFE SA rules and by-laws, barring powers, and various technical improvements.
Under the Bill, governance arrangements between the Minister, the TAFE SA Board of Directors and the Chief Executive is framed to maintain appropriate Ministerial direction and oversight of TAFE SA.
It will mean TAFE will be more agile to pursue state government priorities – such as construction, defence and early childhood – sectors where we need to build the skills workforce for the future.
As put by Blair Boyer
The Malinauskas Labor Government is delivering a once-in-a-generation reform agenda that will transform education, training and skills and will build high-quality, student-focused pathways.
Since coming into government in 2022, the State Government has invested in TAFE SA, placing it at the centre of our skills policy in South Australia, and ensuring it can best deliver high-quality, accessible training in all parts of the state.
With major projects underway in the defence industry, construction, early childhood and health, TAFE SA is vital to delivering the skilled workforce we need.
This bill means TAFE SA will need to prioritise delivering things like new courses that our state needs, training more students in regional areas, and offering more support services for students.
Becoming a statutory authority will ensure TAFE SA is best placed to function in the interests of the public, rather than focusing on profit.
