SCHOOL AMALGAMATIONS

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (14:30): My question is for the Minister for Education and Child Development. Given that the Stradbroke Primary School and Junior Primary School in my electorate have on multiple occasions voted against amalgamation why are they now being forced to amalgamate? In the current review process even the minister's own departmental representatives on the review panel agreed with the community representatives in their unanimous report against amalgamation.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:30): That demonstrates that the review process was an authentic review process.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I acknowledged before in my answer to the Leader of the Opposition that, yes, the majority of these schools don't want to amalgamate. As I have explained to the schools—and it has been very useful for me to get out to the schools because I get to learn about their particular needs—I understand that these schools are going to feel a sense of anxiety about potential changes around a number of things, but, largely, their funding.

A lot of principals (even those whose communities voted against it) have said to me, 'We can make this work.' They have said to me, 'We can make this work because we are already effectively working like this.' They have also told me that they understand my position and my first point is this: at the time that the government announced this it came with an additional investment of $203 million so nobody can accuse us of taking money out of the education system; that argument does not stand.

They also appreciate that for many years these junior primary/primary schools have been in the somewhat privileged position of attracting two base grants when more than 340 or so of our R-7 schools deliver exactly the same services as these junior primary/primary schools and they are doing an outstanding job. Principals and communities did understand that, and I thank the principals, and the chair of the governing school council at Stradbroke. I was most impressed by the leadership there and I thank them for their time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!