SCHOOL CLOSURES

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education and Children's Services, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:25): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: On 26 September 2006, the Premier and I announced the Education Works initiative, which was the single biggest reform of school infrastructure in more than 30 years. This initiative included the building of six new schools through a public private partnership in addition to voluntary restructuring programs up to a value of about $82 million. Across Australia members would know that families have fewer children and this is increasingly affecting school enrolment numbers in some South Australian schools. This in turn limits the curriculum choices for young people, with ageing school buildings and a significant longstanding backlog of maintenance—despite this state government's massive investment to improve school facilities—also affecting the quality of some of our education infrastructure.

Under our Education Works initiative, schools have been invited to look at facilities and services in their area and think creatively about how they might operate in the future. We have had an overwhelming response to this initiative, which shows that parents, teachers and local communities want the best for South Australian children. In order to ensure that excellent public education continues to be delivered in South Australia, we must introduce some bold reform. However, this reform is much better and has a much better chance of success if local communities can make local decisions.

Under this initiative school communities have had an opportunity to express interest, and of course schools will only close or amalgamate with the support of the majority of the school community after a long process of consultation. Significant consultation on this initiative has taken place across the state, and this will continue, as we want to work collaboratively with school communities. I wish to inform the house that the Chief Executive of the Department for Education and Children's Services has received requests from the governing councils of Broadmeadows Primary School, Rosedale Primary School and Browns Well District Area School for their schools to be closed, and from Spence and Heysen Primary Schools, as well as Aldinga Junior Primary and Primary Schools for their schools to be merged.

The governing councils have advised that their school communities have voted to close their schools in accordance with section 14A of the Education Act 1972. I have agreed to these requests. Dwindling enrolments mean that there are limited opportunities for students, and it is this that has prompted school communities to think about the future educational opportunities for children. I understand and realise that coming to a decision to close a school is a very difficult one, but parents are to be applauded for putting the best interests of their children and future children to the foremost.

I am advised that the students from Broadmeadows Primary School have already transferred to Elizabeth North Primary School, and this school will now cater for about 450 children. Also, $1.9 million is being provided to Elizabeth North Primary School for a new early learning centre and new classrooms. The students from Rosedale Primary School have transferred to Sandy Creek or to Tanunda Primary Schools, and a new school bus will be provided to transport these students to these schools. The students from Browns Wells District Area School have transferred to either Loxton Primary School or to the high school. The campuses of Heysen and Spence Primary Schools from the start of the 2008 year have formed a new school to be called Thiele Primary School in honour of the late Colin Thiele and continuing a tradition at those schools of honouring a very significant South Australian.

Aldinga Primary and Junior Primary Schools also merged from the start of 2008, and we await facilities briefs that are being prepared at both these schools to consider improvements to the new school facilities. I would like to thank the school communities for their positive and collaborative approach in this initiative, and I am pleased that it is being followed up with investment from the state government.