SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE

Ms CICCARELLO (Norwood) (14:12): My question is to the Minister for Education and Children's Services. What progress has been made to improve the infrastructure of public schools for 2009?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:12): I thank the member for Norwood, who on many occasions has taken me to see the work in progress at Norwood Primary School, which is one of the beneficiaries of the Rann government's initiative to improve school infrastructure since our election. By the 2008-09 budget our total investment in school capital works, maintenance and asset funding, since 2002-03, has amounted to $790 million. Many school facilities have been improved under our capital works program, which includes major construction projects for schools.

In the last few months this has included five school upgrades in total worth $13.7 million affecting Birdwood High, the McDonald Park schools, McLaren Flat, North Adelaide Primary and West Beach Primary School. I am very pleased to advise the house that students will look forward to more than $52 million worth of new facilities at the start of the next school year, affecting 15 state schools. Schools that have benefited from a range of works include Kingscote Area School, which will now have new buildings and facilities, including new science laboratories and art facilities worth $8.59 million.

In addition, Henley High will have new year 8 and year 9 classrooms, art rooms and a special education room totalling $8.028 million, and Craigmore High School will have an upgrade to specialist teaching areas totalling $4.16 million. In addition to this, we have invested $216 million in the forward budgets for our Education Works initiative to build six entirely new schools in partnership with private industry, and we will be reinvesting $82 million to reconfigure schools and preschools.

In addition, each year the government commits to green schools, School Pride and security grants, amounting collectively to $14 million of extra investment in school infrastructure. Our ongoing infrastructure funding programs, coupled with our comprehensive Education Works initiative, demonstrate the government's absolute commitment to ensure that all students have the best facilities in which to learn, not only for today but also for the future.