Annual Report 2021-22

The past year has continued to throw challenges in the path of individuals, businesses and industries. As businesses and supply chains have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions and staff shortages, our department has continued to work across government to support the state’s recovery from the pandemic.

Our department has supported South Australia’s economic growth by ensuring that our priority sectors are underpinned by a high performing research and innovation system and a skilled workforce.

We are proud of our achievements throughout 2021-22, yet we are resolute in our purpose to make a difference by helping people and business to succeed and grow the South Australian economy.

The world continues to change at a rapid pace, and it is vital that we prepare our businesses, researchers, innovators and future workforce to not only adapt to this change, but also to succeed within it. Evidence-based knowledge, the ability to work collaboratively to solve complex problems, and a passion for innovation will be essential attributes for success.

By working directly with business, researchers and innovators we have connected game changing ideas with small, medium and large businesses across priority industry sectors to build competitive advantage in South Australia. Importantly, we have invested in skills, training pathways, and the training system itself to ensure that South Australians, regardless of their background, location and gender are equally well equipped for success in a future workforce.

Through excellent policy development and execution, customer focus and service delivery, we have assisted researchers, businesses, entrepreneurs and skilled workers to make a positive impact on society and collectively contribute to the transformation of the South Australian economy.

We further strengthened South Australia’s science, research and innovation system, attracting research to the state and leveraging funding from the Australian Government, industry and research partners. We also supported the University of Adelaide’s successful Trailblazer Centre in Defence and Space Technologies, attracting $200 million from the Australian Government and industry partners.

We implemented entrepreneurship and startup initiatives, including targeted investments in research innovation projects and venture capital.

We supported the growth of South Australia’s emerging hi-tech industries, and we worked with the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre and the AustCyber South Australian Node to increase industry awareness of and resilience to cyber threats.

To ensure businesses have access to the skills they need, particularly in regional South Australia, we’ve continued to deliver skilled, employer-sponsored and business migration programs.

Locally, we targeted investment in training to ensure South Australians have the right skills to participate in the workforce, secure jobs and contribute to a growing economy.

We did this through increasing access to apprenticeships and traineeships in areas of industry need, partnering with training providers and industry organisations on skills and training projects, and delivering the JobTrainer program to provide access to low-fee training.

We also worked to build training market capability and capacity, enacted the South Australian Skills Act 2008, which allows for the delivery of higher education apprenticeship and traineeship pathways, as well as the endorsement of micro-credentials, and worked closely with industry bodies to ensure a strong industry voice is represented in the training system.

The Department continued to provide information, services and resources to help South Australians successfully start, operate and grow their small business.

We established a one-on-one, small business case management service, provided advice and support to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, established the SA Business Information Hub, and provided dedicated support to bushfire affected businesses in the Kangaroo Island and Adelaide Hills regions.

The Department also has responsibility for supporting and growing South Australia’s creative industries.

Through the Music Development Office, we supported South Australian music industry professionals impacted by the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we worked with JamFactory on its programs to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and craftspeople, and its wood and metalwork studios.

We supported the CreaTech City Activation Challenge in partnership with the City of Adelaide and the Adelaide Economic Development Agency, and worked with the South Australian Film Corporation to continue developing the state’s screen industries.

Following the state election earlier this year, the Department has undertaken necessary functional changes to enable it to support the new South Australian Government. The Department for Innovation and Skills transitioned to the Department for Industry, Innovation and Science as of 1 July 2022.

I look forward to honing the Department’s focus to deliver the new government’s agenda over the next four years.

Adam Reid

Chief Executive

Department for Innovation and Skills

Our Purpose

The Department for Innovation and Skills drives the growth of the South Australian economy by supporting people and business to succeed.

Our Impact

The impact of this work benefits South Australia through:

• productivity growth
• more young South Australians working and/or studying
• higher skill levels in the economy
• attracting wealth creators and global talent to our state
• more medium and large businesses in South Australia
• increasing employment.

Our Values

Our values are based on the Public Sector Values and reflect our focus on the ever-changing needs of South Australians and the role of government in helping to grow the state's prosperity and wellbeing. We will uphold these values in our decisions, actions and interactions.

• We proudly serve the community and Government of South Australia
• We strive for excellence
• We have confidence in the ability of others
• We value every individual
• We create solutions together
• We act truthfully, consistently and fairly
• We never give up
• We work to get the best results for current and future generations of South Australians

Our functions, objectives and deliverables

The Department for Innovation and Skills is responsible for supporting South Australia’s future economy, creating prosperity and opportunity for the people that choose to live and work in our state.

The Department’s key objectives are to support the state’s economic growth through:

• increasing SA’s productivity growth rate through research and innovation
• supporting entrepreneurs and business growth
• helping people get the skills they want, and the economy needs.

The Department works directly with businesses and proactively and purposefully engages and collaborates with industry and stakeholders across a range of sectors.

The Department is achieving these objectives through policies and programs which are:

• supporting the skills and workforce development of individuals, employers and the economy, and investing in training to help people get the skills to achieve their goals, build careers and improve their lives
• developing and investing in a high performing research and innovation system to help researchers, entrepreneurs, creative industries and business leaders commercialise ideas, deliver new products and services to the world
• supporting entrepreneurs and business growth by facilitating connections between researchers and innovators, industry and business, employers and training providers, and the South Australian workforce.

Changes to the agency

From 1 July 2022, under the Machinery of Government process, the following changes occurred:

• The Department for Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) was established to drive economic growth by supporting South Australian industries and businesses to succeed in a local and global environment
• Industry Capability Network South Australia, International Education, and StudyAdelaide transitioned to DIIS from the Department for Trade and Investment
• The higher education function transitioned to DIIS from the Department for Education
• The training and skills function including the South Australian Skills Commission, within the former Department for Innovation and Skills, was transferred to the Department for Education under a new office, Skills SA.

Download the Department for Innovation and Skills Organisational Chart.

Adam Reid

Chief Executive

Adam is the Chief Executive of the Department for Industry, Innovation and Science, (formerly the Department for Innovation and Skills), which is responsible for supporting sustainable economic growth through research and innovation, technology development, industry and business growth, manufacturing capability, and skilled and business migration.

Adam brings more than 20 years of experience in the South Australian public sector in industry, science and innovation policy and program delivery.

Prior to becoming the Chief Executive, Adam was the Executive Director of the Innovation and Science division within the Department for Innovation and Skills, responsible for developing and supporting the state’s innovation system to drive economic growth.

Previously Adam held executive positions within the Department of State Development and Department of Trade and Economic Development, where he led industry development policy and strategy implementation, small business and investment management. In his previous roles Adam led the development of South Australia’s manufacturing strategy, the purchase and planning of the Tonsley Innovation District, investments in strategic research infrastructure and capabilities, and the transition of the state’s automotive supply chain.

Adam holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Adelaide.

Madeline Richardson

Executive Director
Skills & Workforce Capability

Madeline is the Executive Director, Skills and Workforce Capability, and is focused on supporting South Australians through:

• partnerships with employers, industry and peak bodies to deliver workforce strategies and solutions
• increasing access to training and skilled career pathways, including supporting mobility and upskilling
• building capacity and capability in the training market with an ongoing focus on quality and responsiveness
• new and innovative training models that support increasing skill levels and job outcomes
• services and support to employers, training providers, apprentices and trainees, and learners
• increasing awareness and perceptions of vocational training.

Andy Dunbar

Executive Director
Innovation & Science

Andy is the Executive Director, Innovation and Science Group, responsible for developing and supporting the state’s innovation system in partnership with other parts of government, research organisations, industry and business. The group focused on supporting sustainable economic growth by:

• developing a high performing research and innovation system and supporting the commercialisation of research through industry, research and government collaboration
• supporting the growth of innovative and competitive industries and businesses
• improving the state’s manufacturing capability and capacity
• supporting entrepreneurs, startups and small business, and attracting early stage and venture capital.

Nari Chandler

Executive Director
Strategy, Policy & Migration

Nari is the Executive Director of the Strategy, Policy and People Group, playing a critical role in strengthening the South Australian economy by:

• coordinating, driving and delivering evidence-based policy reforms that support economic growth and deliver a skilled workforce for the future
• leading state migration attraction in areas of industry need, to address skills gaps and encourage business investment and export opportunities
• ensuring the strategic communication of the Department’s services to increase their uptake and inform people’s understanding of how these services will benefit them and the economy
• making connections between the Department’s services to improve outcomes for clients
• ensuring a high performing enterprise through strong and effective people, culture and strategy leadership.

Phuong Chau

Executive Director
Performance & Business Operations

Phuong is the Executive Director, Performance and Business Operations, and leads delivery of corporate services and solutions to position the Department to achieve its strategic objectives. The group partners with clients and stakeholders to deliver:

• business systems – collaborating with other agencies and driving business excellence in the frameworks, systems and policies that support efficient and effective operations and client-centric solutions
• resource management – leading an adaptive and sustainable approach to managing our financial and physical resources and assets.
• performance measurement – supporting an environment that ensures decisions are made based on data, planning and managing risks.

Construction Industry Training Fund Act 1993

South Australian Film Corporation Act 1972

South Australian Skills Act 2008

Vocational Education and Training (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2012

South Australian Skills Commission

Adelaide Film Festival

JamFactory

South Australian Film Corporation

The Department for Innovation and Skills supported sustainable economic growth in South Australia by developing industries and successful businesses that leverage the state’s strengths, and by connecting South Australians to skills, training and employment opportunities.

Highlights from 2021-22:

• Strengthened South Australia’s science, research and innovation system through the research and innovation strategy, including by:
  • securing a further three Cooperative Research Centre headquarters in South Australia, attracting $633 million from the Australian Government, industry, and research partners
  • supporting the University of Adelaide’s successful Trailblazer Centre in Defence and Space Technologies, attracting $200 million from the Australian Government and industry partners.
• Implemented initiatives under the entrepreneurship and startup strategy and targeted investments from the Research Innovation Fund and the South Australian Venture Capital Fund.
• Supported the growth of South Australia’s hi-tech industries through the implementation of the Hi-Tech Sector Plan 2030.
• Supported the increased awareness and resilience of cyber threats to South Australian industry through the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre and the AustCyber South Australian Node.
• continued to deliver South Australia’s skilled, employer sponsored and business migration programs to attract the skills and investment required to support economic recovery, including in regional South Australia.
• Supported skilled career pathways, including apprenticeships and traineeships in areas of industry need.
• Co-designed skills and training solutions with training providers, employers, industry bodies and community organisations to attract, train and grow the workforce.
• Delivered JobTrainer to support low fee access to training.
• Built capability and capacity in the vocational education and training (VET) market to meet the state’s skills needs.
• Enacted the South Australian Skills Act 2008, including the delivery of higher education apprenticeship and traineeship pathways and endorsement of micro-credentials in the state by the South Australian Skills Commission.
• Appointed new Industry Skills Councils, structured as sub-committees of the South Australian Skills Commission, each chaired by the relevant sector member of the Commission to provide expert advice and greater opportunity for collaboration and information sharing between government and industry,
• Established a small business case management service to provide one-on-one support to growth-oriented small and family businesses, and provided advice and support to small and family businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Established the SA Business Information Hub and provided dedicated support to bushfire affected businesses in the Kangaroo Island and Adelaide Hills regions.
• Supported the South Australian music industry impacted by the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through the programs of the Music Development Office.
• Supported JamFactory to build capacity within programs that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and craftspeople, and to support the organisation’s wood and metalwork studios.
• Supported industry growth and employment in the creative industries through implementing the Creative Industries Strategy 2030.
• Continued development of the state’s screen industries through programs delivered by the South Australian Film Corporation.
• Supported the CreaTech City Activation Challenge in partnership with the City of Adelaide and the Adelaide Economic Development Agency.

During 2021-22 the Department continued to work with other agencies to support the state’s recovery from Coronavirus (COVID-19).

*number of claimants assessed during the reporting period as having a whole person impairment of 30% or more under the Return to Work Act 2014 (Part 2 Division 5)

**before third party recovery

Data for previous years is available at: DataSA.

Data for previous years is available at: DataSA.

The Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment has a workforce information page that provides further information on the breakdown of executive gender, salary and tenure by agency.

The following is a brief summary of the overall financial position of the agency. The information is unaudited. Full audited financial statements for 2021-2022 are attached to this report.

The Department reported a $60.878 million net surplus in the 2021-22 financial year. This result is $77.430 million favourable compared to original budget, mainly relating to an increase in income from Commonwealth-sourced grants and funding and lower than anticipated grant expenditure (refer to note 1.6 of the full audited financial statements).

The Department’s net assets at 30 June 2022 were $120.952 million, $108.924 million higher than budget, mainly due to a favourable net result compared to original budget and the transfer of net assets to the department on 30 June 2021 on the dissolution of TechInSA that were not included in original budget.

Consultants disclosure

The following is a summary of external consultants that have been engaged by the agency, the nature of work undertaken, and the actual payments made for the work undertaken during the financial year.

Consultancies with a contract value below $10,000 each

Data for previous years is available at: DataSA.

See also the Consolidated Financial Report of the Department of Treasury and Finance - (Budget Statement Appendix C) for total value of consultancy contracts across the South Australian Public Sector.

The following is a summary of external contractors that have been engaged by the agency, the nature of work undertaken, and the actual payments made for work undertaken during the financial year.

Contractors with a contract value below $10,000

Contractors with a contract value above $10,000 each

Data for previous years is available at: DataSA.

The details of South Australian Government-awarded contracts for goods, services, and works are displayed on the SA Tenders and Contracts website. View the agency list of contracts.

The website also provides details of across government contracts.

The Department’s Risk and Performance Committee has oversight of strategic risks, where the effect of an event or change in circumstances impacts the Department’s ability to achieve its strategic direction. Internal audit reviews focus on these strategic risks.

NB: Fraud reported includes actual and reasonably suspected incidents of fraud.

The Department employs a range of risk-based strategies to control and prevent fraud. These strategies form the Department’s Fraud Control Plan and include, but are not limited to, a related Policy and Procedure, segregation of duties, pre-employment screening, declarations of interest, and a financial management compliance program. The Plan and related activities are overseen by the Risk and Performance Committee.

Data for previous years is available at: DataSA.

Number of occasions on which public interest information has been disclosed to a responsible officer of the agency under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018:

0

Data for previous years is available at: DataSA.

Note: Disclosure of public interest information was previously reported under the Whistleblowers Protection Act 1993 and repealed by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 on 1/7/2019.

NIL

The Carers’ Recognition Act 2005 is deemed applicable for the following: Department of Human Services, Department for Education, Department for Health, Department for Innovation and Skills, Department for Infrastructure and Transport, South Australia Police and TAFE SA.

Section 7: Compliance or non-compliance with section 6 of the Carers Recognition Act 2005 and (b) if a person or body provides relevant services under a contract with the organisation (other than a contract of employment), that person's or body's compliance or noncompliance with section 6.

The Department provides online training to staff regarding disability and inclusion, which includes the Carer’s Recognition Act 2005, as well as flexible working and special leave options to assist employees in meeting caring responsibilities.

Number of public complaints reported

Data for previous years is available at: DataSA.

The Department is committed to ensuring information and services are easily accessible for all and welcomes feedback on any challenges experienced by our stakeholders and the general public.

Access issues relating to systems and technology, including websites and portals, are prioritised to ensure any technical issues and system configurations are prioritised to minimise disruption for our customers.

Feedback pertaining to policy content, application of policy, decision-making and the communication of decisions assists the Department to continually improve the overall customer experience.

The Department has reviewed and updated its internal Complaints Management policy and procedures and undertakes regular review of feedback report.

Feedback and complaints received by the Department will continue to help improve our service standards.

Data contained within the tables of the Annual Report is available at: DataSA.