Scarce to head new precinct

Friday May 12, 2023

By Sophie Conlon 

REAR Admiral Kevin Scarce will spearhead the creation of a masterplan set to bolster education and training in the Limestone Coast.

Rear Adm Scarce was chosen as the independent chair for the committee that will manage the masterplan to determine how a $59 million state government investment will be used to develop the Mount Gambier Education and Training Precinct.

Only appointed to the role on Monday, May 8, Rear Adm Scarce has already hit the ground running, meeting with local stakeholders to determine what they believed was important for the development of the site.

“I thought it was important to come to the region first and get a view, so I’ve had 10 or 15 interviews, and a few more to go, talking to local people about the skills they need into the future and how those skills might be delivered,” he said.

The Mount Gambier Education and Training Precinct, which will be located on Wireless Road, will include the University of South Australia, a refurbishment of the Mount Gambier TAFE, as well as the development of the Mount Gambier Technical College and Forestry Centre of Excellence.

It is expected to serve UniSA and TAFE students, as well as other regional training providers, key regional business entities, associations and the broader community.

State minister for primary industries and regional development Clare Scriven said the Forestry Centre of Excellence was an important part of the precinct that would put the Green Triangle in the global spotlight for research, education, product and market development.

“The development of the Master Plan for this site aims to deliver a high-level understanding of how collaboration can occur across the precinct to deliver a skills and innovation hub providing a high-quality education and training experience,” she said.

Rear Adm Scarce said a lot of the footwork for the plan had been done, but now it was his job to work out the optimal use of land and finance, as well as the optimal educational outcomes for now and into the future at the site.

“The government has made a decision to invest $59 million here, so my job is to chair an independent group of stakeholders to develop a masterplan which really has the vision of how this intergraded facility will be used into the future,” he said.

“So talking with local people, local government, local business owners, local training providers, that’s an important part in understanding what skills might be needed into the future and then I’ll take that back talk with the government agencies and then we’ll be back down here again before we conclude in about three months time.”

Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell said he was excited to see the vision for the precinct unfold.

“The Mount Gambier Education and Training Precinct is not only significant for education, but for the region more broadly – and something I have been advocating to ensure the future of our industries,” he said.

“The $59 million dollar investment is one of the largest investments in education and training in our region of any government in living memory.”

In meeting with stakeholders, Rear Adm Scarce said he had heard a lot of what the community thought was important in creating the future of local education.

“Data, changing technology, how do we manage and train our people for that, as well as all the other industries that need skills as well, there is a mix of the past, present and future,” he said.

“I think the future is always a little bit more cloudy, and so we’ll spend a bit more time thinking about that.”

He said he was impressed that everyone he had met with had a clear understanding of what they wanted for the site and good understanding of the region’s industries.

“I’m excited to be working on such an important project, not just for regional South Australia, but for the future of the state more broadly,” he said.

Rear Adm Scarce has had a varied career, serving in the Australian Navy, and chief executive of the South Australian Government Defence Unit.

He was the 34th Governor of South Australia from 2007 to 2014, the 16th Chancellor of the University of Adelaide and was made a Commander of the Order of Australia in 2008.

State minister for education Blair Boyer said Rear Adm Scarce’s appointment was a success for the region’s education services.

“The calibre and experience of Rear Admiral Scarce will bring a high quality strategic and impartial management approach to the independent chair role, delivering on the region’s future skills, social and economic needs,” he said.

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