Reading through 1000+ pages of budget papers take some time to digest what the measures are aiming to achieve.
When you look at Ministerial responsibilities it is interesting to see the programs that people are responsible for, what they are called, and where there is some crossover. More to come on this topic with changes to the mechanics of government soon.
Consumer and Business Services, which seems to require some innovation, has a budget going backwards. There is funding for advocacy and education programs that seek to increase awareness of dust diseases, reduce risk; and funding to connect workers to the best available help and support and partner with industry on best mental health practices and create a safer community.
The Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment is leading the implementation of the human resources strategy and public sector workforce transformation reform initiatives through enhanced human resource management policy, systems and capability development.
Department for Child Protection, Care and Protection has an action to begin work on a workforce development strategy.
Correctional Services is seeking to improve rehabilitation outcomes by increasing employment and vocational training opportunities.
Defence SA aims to successfully execute workforce and skills development campaigns attracting skilled workers and students to the defence industry; and establish Communities of Interest to foster greater sharing of ideas and collaboration opportunities. Interesting to understand what methodologies could be applied here.
South Australian Space Industry Centre wants to support South Australian students in pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics pathways, and seek opportunities to encourage and support a culture of space related entrepreneurship among postgraduate students; and deliver a Space Innovation Fund (SIF) grant round to attract and support new start-ups and early-stage businesses to scale up and activate their ideas as a one off model for 2022.
The Department for Education has many infrastructure projects and upgrades such as Adelaide Botanic High School – additional accommodation; five new technical colleges – 175 000 000 = $175 million; construction of additional capacity at Adelaide Botanic High School and Roma Mitchell Secondary College to meet forecast enrolment demand; and prepare for the expansion of the CBD school zone from the 2024 school year. There are capital works to provide contemporary and adaptive learning environments through new and refurbished facilities; and planning to construct five new technical colleges, including two in regional South Australia at Port Augusta and Mount Gambier and three across the metropolitan area.
Implementation of the government’s seven-point plan for quality teaching, including offering university scholarships to strengthen and diversify the teaching profession in South Australian government schools; and commencing planning to implement the government’s supporting wellbeing in schools commitment, including 100 new mental health and learning support specialists for government primary and secondary schools. Other areas include additional support for students with autism, an annual mid-year intake from July 2024 for reception students in government schools, and a recently announced $100 subsidy to government school parents, caregivers and independent students.
The Digital Strategy 2022 to 2025 is working to embed digital technology across the education system to empower government schools and preschools to deliver a world-class education, and the Country Pre-service Teacher Program aims to support a pipeline of early career teachers into regional schools through high value professional development, employment in support roles prior to graduation and financial assistance to complete the required professional experience placements.
For Emergency Services there is an allocation for Emergency Service Support to develop an online mental health and wellbeing/resilience training program for volunteers and staff.
South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service successfully completed the Registered Training Organisation audit and re-registration, ensuring the MFS can continue to provide personnel with access to nationally recognised competencies from the Public Safety Training Package – well done! (And maybe you could share your experience with TAFESA?)
Fire and Emergency Services Strategic Services and Business Support has a target to develop an online mental health and wellbeing/resilience training program for volunteers and staff.
Department for Energy and Mining, “The department will support our hydrogen plans for the future, with the use of green hydrogen as an opportunity to power new jobs and industry while minimising the need for household solar panels to be switched off during periods of excess renewable energy generation”, establishing the Office of Hydrogen Power South Australia as the next step towards delivering the Hydrogen Jobs Plan; and continuing to oversee RAA’s implementation of South Australia’s electric vehicle charging network.
Environment Protection Authority has a circular economy theme (with perhaps a fund to follow), to implement programs to support a more circular economy and improve waste management, with Circular Economy and Green Industry Development via Green Industries SA.
Department for Health and Wellbeing – name change is significant as is the investment where attracting, recruiting and retaining the workforce will be a #1 priority, as well as:
“Transition South Australia’s COVID-19 public health response away from an emergency management structure and into a ‘Living with COVID’ framework.”
Mental health, cancer care, infrastructure, emergency departments, leadership, workforce planning, cultural engagement and Aboriginal health, Veteran wellbeing, aged care and anti-racism are target areas. The provision of hospital, mental and community health services to babies, children, youth and women across the state, regional expansion and Reconciliation Action Plans.
SA Ambulance Service – “Recruit additional paramedics and ambulance officers across metropolitan and regional South Australia to deliver on the government’s election commitments.”
Wellbeing SA where targets include:
- Continue to implement the Wellbeing SA Strategic Plan 2020-2025
- Release and commence implementation of the South Australian Suicide Prevention Plan 2022-2025.
2022-23 Agency Statements — Volume 3 Health and Wellbeing65
- Commence implementation of the Wellbeing SA’s Integrated Care Strategy.
- Continue implementation of the Chronic Disease Integrated Partnership Grants Program.
- Develop a Wellbeing SA Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Wellbeing Strategy.
- Develop an anti-racism strategy for the South Australian public sector.
- Develop an Aboriginal Health Promotion Action Plan and community grants program.
- Launch the SA Healthy Workplace Advisory Service.
Department of Human Services, Status of Women is addressing issues such as domestic violence prevention and recovery, reinstating the Premier’s Women’s Directory, establishment of a Gender Pay Gap Taskforce, a new cross-government strategy to respond to family, domestic and sexual violence in South Australia, an equality bill to encourage organisations to achieve gender equality, reinstate the Women in Sport Taskforce, and bring together a cross-government effort to drive legacy on equality from the Women’s World Cup.
On Communities I love this next part…
“Distribute grants for men’s and women’s sheds.”
“Lead the development of a new targeted Youth Action Plan to drive social inclusion and COVID-19 recovery for young South Australians experiencing disadvantage and marginalisation.”
Department for Infrastructure and Transport – numerous road, highway, rail, bridge, health precinct, hospital, school, new Adelaide Aquatic Centre and transport projects.
Recreation, Sport and Racing sees a new grants program to support South Australian car clubs, and support of sporting organisations to build capacity.
Targets for 2022-23 include establishing the South Australian Manufacturing Innovation Grant Program, and the University Merger Commission, and helping, “businesses to access a skilled workforce including through the state’s migration programs and nominate high quality international entrepreneurs who will bring their skills and ideas to South Australia to grow the South Australian entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Training and Skills seems more like business as usual when this is an area that really needs innovating, perhaps when it transfers to the Department for Education from 1 July 2022 we’ll see a more world-leading approach?
Small and Family Business, is supporting the implementation of the Women in Business Program with a recent Your Say survey to gain input into what it might look like.
Creative Industries – implementation of the See It LIVE! Live Music Support Plan; and support the growth of the film industry through the SAFC and supporting annualisation of the AFF.
Department of the Premier and Cabinet highlights investment in the following areas:
- provide funding support programs to South Australian professional artists and arts organisations
- manage international programmes for the Premier and key international stakeholders, diplomatic and official visitors to South Australia, ensuring strategic alignment with state government priorities. This should be coordinated with the private sector, transparent, and promoted where businesses and individuals can benefit from global connections.
- lead the delivery of an innovation district at Lot Fourteen and increasing the occupancy and activation for business and the community. This includes construction commencing of the Entrepreneur and Innovation Centre, ongoing construction of Tarrkarri — Centre for First Nations Culture and finalising a business case for a new Digital Technologies Academy.
- multicultural affairs – introduce the Multicultural South Australia Ambassador Program to activate the South Australian Multicultural Charter and to embed its principles within the workforce and business practices of South Australia’s leading organisations. Now this could link with the international ambassadors’ program established by the City of Adelaide, and other councils especially where there are sister city relationships.
- arts and cultural policy and support – additional investment into the Adelaide Fringe to ensure it is able to grow and raise its profile on
- the national and international stage to draw more domestic and international tourists.
As an aside, the development of a Home Quarantine App = $14.1 million, wow and I wonder who got this job?
Department of Primary Industries and Regions:
- Support, advise and fund programs to industry to enable expansion and innovation in agricultural production.
- Funding to regional communities and sectors to support the strategic economic development of the state’s regional communities and industries.
- South Australian Research and Development Institute – establish a seaweed hatchery at West Beach to propagate commercially important seaweed species; evaluate the animal welfare, productivity and profitability outcomes associated with use of virtual fencing for cattle.
- Forestry Policy – support the establishment of a Forestry Centre for Excellence at Mount Gambier incorporating the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation and other forestry funding streams.
- Regional Development – support Regional Development Australia associations to ensure delivery of their projects and programs that provide economic opportunities in regions.
Funding for TAFESA to.
“…improving the TAFE SA digital environment and access to training; providing modern and compliant training environments; updating teaching plant and equipment required for industry ready skills and maintaining asset value through the asset lifecycle replacement programs to support the delivery of vocational and education training delivery across the state.
Which must mean that you’ve got to offload some campuses and open up others (like Mount Barker and Victor Harbor), which would be ideal for coworking, startups and scaleups.
Targets 2022-23
- Increase delivery and training opportunities for the aged care, disability and early childhood industries in both metropolitan and regional South Australia.
- Increase apprenticeships and courses for areas of specific trade shortages, designed in conjunction with industry.
- Continue to improve the accessibility of vocational education to regional TAFE SA students through a combination of enhanced digital infrastructure and investment in key regional campuses to ensure TAFE SA is equipped to deliver training to and above the standards expected by industry and students.
- Implement a three-year diversity and inclusion strategic plan as part of TAFE SA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion for all in a positive and supporting environment for the TAFE SA community.
- Implement an Enterprise Customer Management system to provide a 360-degree view of the students’ administrative and learning journey with TAFE SA to deliver improved student retention and completions.
- Enhance TAFE SA’s student learning experience through technology, including the refinement of TAFE SA’s digital offering to assist program areas with their digital content.
- Transition training packages in accordance with the National Skills Reform while ensuring student and industry needs are met, educators are supported, and regulatory bodies are actively engaged with and consulted.
There is an amount in sales of goods and services so what might make this up? And it seems that there is a significant increase in costs, where performance indicators need either a shake up or better alignment with jobs and industry expectations.
SATC has a focus on Adelaide Airport Ltd and international and domestic airlines; cruise ship destination; developing key experiences; working collaboratively with the state’s 11 Regional Tourism Organisations; measure the performance of the South Australian tourism industry; drive business capability building and workforce attraction within the tourism industry; South Australian Sustainable Tourism Strategy, the next SATC Corporate Plan and commence development of the South Australian Recreational Fishing Tourism Strategy.
This is interesting from a labour and skills shortage point of view where SATC says that they want to, “Help drive the recovery of working holiday makers to South Australia to help address workforce shortages and grow the visitor economy.”
Department for Trade and Investment targets for 2022-23 include:
- Re-establish Brand SA to encourage South Australians to switch a portion of their expenditure to buying local to support jobs and the economy, delivering on the government’s election commitment.
- Establish Invest SA to further drive investment outcomes and economic growth in South Australia, delivering on the government’s election commitment.
- Facilitate $750 million of foreign investment into South Australia through Invest SA.
- Facilitate $50 million in trade outcomes for South Australia through the department’s export assistance and programs.
- Provide 400 export services to South Australian businesses.
- Finalise agreements with the Commonwealth Government to begin implementation of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative Collaboration Stream, to support the delivery of the Plant Protein and the Australian Space Park industry projects.
Department of Treasury and Finance – “create a learning management system accessible to assistants to members of parliament staff that facilitates online access to respectful behaviours in the workplace training, and other training/policy material.”
Assisting local business to become tender ready by holding regular industry-specific workshops helping more local businesses win state government work; and developing further the new delivery model of the Aboriginal Employment Industry Cluster program.
Some overriding themes (which probably relates to funds and maybe accelerators):
- Agtech and innovation
- Arts, events and festivals
- Circular Economy and Green Industry Development
- Food waste, healthy soils, waste management
- Hydrogen
- International opportunities and export
- Lot 14 precinct
- Regional development
- Tourism
- Wellbeing and health
- Youth
Overall, there needs to be a balance in investing in new sectors and initiatives, vs putting support behind existing sectors that contribute to the economic wealth of the state, and whilst there is a Department of Innovation, it will be important to encourage all departments to innovate.