Career and Workforce Development Centre

My questions are also to the Minister for Automotive Transformation, regarding the Warradale Workforce Development Centre.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK ( 14:27 :46 ): My questions are also to the Minister for Automotive Transformation, regarding the Warradale Workforce Development Centre. Given that staff at the Career and Workforce Development Centre at Warradale provided two ICT information sessions my questions are:

1.Were staff trained to provide ICT training at the Career and Workforce Development Centre?

2.How many staff are currently employed at the centre, and is it open to the public every day?

3.As there have been no further ICT or professional development sessions, how many computers are currently held at the centre?

4.When did they last receive servicing, such as security upgrades, patches, platform—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: Who is 'they'?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: 'They' is the computers.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: 'They', the computers?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Yes, were you listening? Do you want me to start again? Okay, I will start again.

1.Were staff trained to provide ICT training at the centre?

2.How many staff are currently employed at the centre, and is it open to the public every day?

3.(This is about the computers.) How many computers are at the centre?

4.When did they last receive any upgrades, such as service patches or those sorts of things?

5.Given that the centre opened almost five years ago, when will the computers be replaced and how will the minister justify spending taxpayers' money on computers that are no longer being used for training?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) ( 14:29 :24 ): I thank the honourable Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her questions and I am glad they have had a few months off to come up with these killer questions that are very close to bringing the government down. They are great questions, they are a rehash of what they went through last year, very similar questions. I do not have information with me about the details to do with service patches on a computer in an office designed to help workers in the south that they want to close down, but I am happy to go away and find the answers for the questions that the honourable member has asked, including her fixation with service patches.

The PRESIDENT: Supplementary, Hon. Ms Lensink.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK ( 14:30 :03 ): I note that I did ask these questions twice. But can the minister here and now answer the question as to how many staff are employed at the centre and is it open to the public every day?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) ( 14:30 :16 ): I thank the honourable member for her question. From the best of my memory there are—and I will check this and bring back a more complete answer—two or three staff employed. The centre is open as needed, as you would expect it to be, and the staff are working on other things and other projects in the department if they are not at the centre. But we won't give into the demands from the member for Mitchell, from seemingly the people he set up in this chamber to do his bidding, because apparently he wants his office back. We are not going to close it down. We are not going to hand it back to the member for Mitchell. We want to provide services to people in the south and we know these services will become important in the future.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK ( 14:30 :56 ): A further supplementary: I thank the minister for agreeing to come back with responses to my questions. When he does so, can he actually advise what other programs the staff are working on when the centre isn't open?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) ( 14:31 :14 ): I'm happy to have a look at those and I will bring back an answer if it is any different than two or three, and if there is anything different from my answer. From the best of my recollection, it is open as need be. I will have a look to see if there is any information that can be brought back about all the other hard work done by officers from the department involved in supporting our auto workers, the auto workers who we all remember are facing grave challenges because of the federal Liberal government and the acquiescence of this gutless mob over there.

In reply to the Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (15 February 2017).

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation,
Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy): I have been advised:
1. Staff from the registered training organisation delivered the ICT training and are skilled to deliver this training.

2. Four staff from Northern Futures attend when delivering career service appointments. Additionally, one DSD staff member works at the centre every Thursday. The centre is open Monday to Thursday.
3. The centre has 12 computers.
4. The computers are regularly updated in relation to security.
5. The centre opened just over two years ago in 2015 with computers that were surplus to government
requirements and are still fit for purpose.
6. I am advised that Northern Futures are contracted to deliver career services. The workers at the
centre are employees of Northern Futures.