SA private schools hike fees

A ban on commercial tanning beds and higher private school fees are on the cards for South Australia in 2015.

SA will join other states in banning the commercial supply and use of sunbeds from January 1.

Solarium operators who breach the ban will face a maximum fine of $10,000.

Environment Minister Ian Hunter said the health risks posed by sunbeds were clear.

"No solarium can provide a safe tan," he said.

"Research suggests one in six melanomas in Australian young people would be prevented if solaria are shut down."

It will be up to solarium operators to dispose of tanning units themselves, with no plans to introduce a formal disposal or buyback scheme.

Parents who send their kids to Adelaide's top private schools face substantial fee hikes in 2015.

Mercedes College will charge $15,900 for Year 12 students, up 6.1 per cent on its 2014 fees.

Fees for Year 12 students at the prestigious St Peter's College, once home to former state premiers John Downer, Don Dunstan and John Bannon, will go up by 4.5 per cent to $24,160.

Private schools have attributed the fee hikes to increased service costs and funding issues.