Skills SA sent to Education Department then back again for more than $360,000

Taxpayers paying to shift a government agency in, out and back into a department has been likened to the comedy show Utopia.

Taxpayers paid more than $360,000 to move a government agency from one department to another – only for it to be shifted back again two years later in a move likened to bureaucratic comedy series Utopia.

Skills SA, which is charged with fostering vocational education and training, was moved to the Education Department in 2022, from the-then Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

The agency was then moved back this year to effectively the same department, now rebranded as the Department for State Development.

The cost of the first move, in 2022, can be revealed as more than $360,000, including more than $200,000 paid to consulting firm PwC.

Liberal skills spokesman and Deputy Opposition Leader John Gardner, who obtained the figures through Budget estimates committee questions, said the cost of this year’s move was not uncovered.

A state government spokesman blamed the former Liberal government for splitting TAFE from Skills SA, and other moves including abolishing the Department of State Development.

Utopia, an ABC program by Working Dog: left to right, Celia Paquola, Luke McGregor and Rob Sitch. Supplied

But Mr Gardner said the scriptwriters of the ABC comedy series Utopia, which parodies bureaucratic madness, “would have been proud of this story but Labor should be ashamed of what they’ve done”.

“This story is like something straight out of Utopia – it would be funny if we weren’t in the middle of a cost of living crisis, and businesses weren’t suffering from skills shortages around our state,” he said.

“To have so much money spent on shuffling departmental deck chairs around – only to move them back a year later – is a very costly embarrassment for (Premier) Peter Malinauskas.

“This money should have been paying for the training of apprentices, not profits for consulting firms.”

Deputy Opposition Leader John Gardner Picture: NewsWire / Ben Clark

A state government spokesman said skills development was a “significant focus”, which had only been heightened and made more crucial by the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine construction project centred on Adelaide.

“The former Liberal government split TAFE from Skills, which meant skills needs weren’t adequately met, and abolished the Department of State Development,” the spokesman said.

“We’ve brought it back to ensure industry, small business, trade and training are better aligned. And it’s delivering results – from our technical colleges, to fee-free TAFE, to degree apprenticeships.

“We have more people in training than under the former Liberal Government, and lead the nation in growth of people completing traineeships and apprenticeships.”

Mr Gardner said the payment to PwC was included in the department’s annual report, then Budget estimates revealed the payment’s purpose was to integrate Skills into Education. Answers to questions on notice revealed the remainder of the initial move’s total cost.