PORT PIRIE SCHOOL CLOSURES

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:55): My question is to the Minister for Education. Is the government planning to close public schools in Port Pirie and, if so, when will parents be consulted? The state opposition has been informed that the education department has been secretly meeting with school principals for several weeks over a plan to close up to nine schools in and around Port Pirie. Information leaked to the opposition indicates an intention to create the state's largest school with nearly 2,000 students.

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) (14:56): As usual, the member for Unley gets the facts wrong. The problem is that he does not always engage his mind and feel any requirement to get the facts right. I think the largest school in the state is Trinity College, which has over 3,000 students. So, the largest school would not be one with 2,000 students. That is the first error in what he has suggested.

Certainly, the state government—by which, presumably, he means the department of education—possibly the department of education did speak to some principals. After all, the department of education employs the principals; they are staff and there is a line management role that goes from the CE through district directors through to principals. If they are speaking to principals I do not think that is a hanging offence. In fact, I would have thought that was pretty normal.

The member for Unley does have only a passing respect for accuracy, I know, but in terms of closing schools, who has been responsible for closing the most schools; which side of government? It does not take much wit to work out that they closed 67 schools. Our policy has been that we do not close schools. Where there is school closure it is by agreement and with decision-making and voting, even, by the school community.

In terms of the schools in Port Pirie the member for Unley is out there scaremongering again, spreading facts that are wrong and assertions that are unsubstantiated. His idea of what a fact is is so nebulous—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Unley!

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: I have pages and pages of assertions by this individual which are entirely untrue. A fact from the member for Unley can only be defined as an imagination gone wild. In fact, so secret have been the discussions in the area of Port Pirie, that I understand there have been some discussions amongst the schools about how they might align their facilities better.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: But those discussions are instigated by the community; they are driven by community desire and, in fact, they are not—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: Unlike members of the opposition who, when they were in government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: —tried very hard to close schools without consultation, we have never had a view that that is the way we should progress the department. In fact, the only discussions that, I understand, are occurring in Port Pirie are for the school communities, the principals talking to school councils, and the school councils talking to parents.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: I think the member for Unley would be better advised to get the facts before he spreads rumours that have no basis in reality.