In case you missed our first edition - this year we’re going to be providing a wrap-up of each sitting week in South Australian Parliament. We’ll be pointing out motions, debates and comments you might have missed to keep you informed about what’s being discussed in both houses!
Legislative Council (Upper house)
The Legislative Council continued from the adjourned debate (in March 2023) on the motion from Hon Laura Henderson MLC (Liberal)
That this council—
1. Recognises that the child protection system in South Australia is overwhelmed;
2. Recognises that South Australia spends less than the national average on services to prevent children from entering care; and
3. Calls on the Malinauskas government to provide earlier, more intensive intervention for at-risk families before they fall into crisis.
House of Assembly (Lower house)
The Electoral (Control Of Corflutes) Amendment Bill 2024 was passed.
The House passed a motion to recognise the importance of TAFE SA, acknowledging TAFE SA at the centre of the VET system and recognising in-demand courses, including in health and social care.
Penny Pratt MP (Liberal) spoke about the need for mental health services, especially regionally. She said, “So, the plea is really going out to the government to continue looking for opportunities to increase training, to retain the workforce that we have and to improve access in regional South Australia. Of course, the greatest tragedy, and I think the most severe statistic that I can point to, is the fact that 30 per cent of our deaths by suicide are of young people aged 15 to 24.”
Hon. Tony Piccolo MP (Labor) asked Premier Hon Peter Malinauskas MP (Labor) about the Hunter Class Frigate Program. Malinauskas said, “What we are seeking to do is put new money into new methods of training young people. One of the things that it starts with, as the Minister for Education and Skills will attest to, is a dramatic revitalisation of TAFE, a TAFE that we believe should be publicly run.”
