Page 1920 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2016
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resources that are necessary to deal with such things should it happen again. The minister should then satisfy herself that CIT has taken those steps and that the protocol for the proposals put by the committee in this report is adequate. I commend the report to the Assembly.
MR DOSZPOT (Molonglo) (12.12): As the chair, Mr Hinder, has mentioned, the education, training and youth affairs committee faced a number of challenges in coming to this final report. As I indicated earlier this year, when the former committee chair, Ms Porter, tabled the interim report, the inquiry took longer than perhaps it should have. As I said then:
The report might have been concluded some time last year. But then a number of submissions containing quite astounding allegations came to the committee from initially one, quite frankly, brave trainer with CIT, and then subsequently several other trainers and then still later industry representatives supporting the earlier claims.
We have now had the benefit of the results of an ASQA audit. We have seen a less than satisfactory and sadly disappointing response from CIT to the internal and external criticisms and to this committee’s requests. So today we now have the final report.
Have we done enough? Will it make a difference? I certainly hope so, because a number of very passionate people have put their careers, their reputations and their relationships within industry on the line to bring issues to light. I hope so, because we are dealing with the training of apprentices, which in itself is very important. But in an industry like electrical trades, it can mean the difference between life and death if the training has not been adequate and thorough.
I hope the report makes a difference, because this is not the first time I have tried to bring CIT to account. I have been accused in the past of not being supportive of CIT, with claims that I want to bring it down and sully its reputation. I contend that in fact quite the opposite is true. It is because of my concern for and support of the important role that CIT plays in the ACT community and in the wider industry sector that I continue to highlight where it needs to do better.
There are some very dedicated teachers and trainers in CIT who, too often, have been let down by CIT management. I remind the Assembly that CIT was presented with an improvement notice some years ago about its bullying and treatment of staff. Promises were given that things had changed. More RED officers were engaged. I was assured that everyone was now on the same page.
We have evidence from teachers and trainers within the electrotechnology department in this latest inquiry that there were suspected cover-ups, short-changing of training and cutting of corners. But when staff tried to point out the deficiencies they were harassed and apparently bullied.
As the report highlights, the committee is not entirely satisfied as to why ASQA chose to audit only such a narrow range of units. I would have thought a more credible review would have looked at all of the capstones that were referenced in evidence to the inquiry.
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