SCHOOL AMALGAMATIONS

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:34): It was with some degree of interest that I noted again today that the subject of amalgamations came up, and I would like to spend a few minutes today again talking about the position that the Victor Harbor R-7 School finds itself in after the spurious announcement by the minister a couple of weeks ago, and the consistently similar letters sent out to the number of schools that are to be amalgamated.

There is only one thing that this can be put down to and that is that it is purely budget driven. That is the only reason that this ridiculous situation was put into play. What has come to my attention from parents of children at the school since the announcement is a sense of despair about what the place is going to be like in a couple of years. They are getting a one-off grant but that is not going to suffice in the long term for the disruption to the school's program, the school's students, the school's staff—and the list goes on.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why the minister took it upon herself to travel around to each of the schools that oppose the amalgamations, as a token visit, but did not even bother to consult with or listen to the committee that the Victor Harbor R-7 School had put together, did not ask any questions of the committee and then sailed off into the sunset. I find this government's attitude and the minister's attitude a sign of absolute arrogance in the way it operates these schools.

It is unbelievable that the minister cannot even bring herself to speak to local members or inform local members when she is going to their schools. As an example of that, the minister visited the Victor Harbor R-7 School but I was not asked along. Local members regard these schools as their schools. They work with them regularly and it crosses the party divide. I was able to discuss school problems in my electorate quite openly with one former minister (Jane Lomax-Smith). However, last Monday night at 4 o'clock or so (a week ago) my office received an email from the minister's office which stated 'The minister is visiting a school in your electorate tomorrow.'

The supreme arrogance and the supreme stupidity of staff in doing that once again beggars belief. Surely the minister could have picked up the phone and said, 'Michael, I'm off down to Victor Harbor High tomorrow. If you are able to come'—but I could not have—'would you like to come along? I'm going there to discuss the groundbreaking program that was put in place by local doctors and health professionals at the Victor Harbor school.' I would have said, 'Yes, Grace, I'd love to come along. I've been involved with this program since the days of Alexander Downer, who put a lot of effort into making sure it got up and got some funding for it.' But, no, not this arrogant mob; they do not even have the decency or the courtesy to let local members know. I understand, from what I hear, that she does it to her own members, those on her own side. Really, it is absolutely ridiculous.

We may be on either side of the political divide but I would like to think that I came into this place for the right reasons. However, I am not quite sure that the Minister for Education did because she cannot bring herself to pick up the phone and ring local members and say, 'Look, we're going down to your school.' It is highly disappointing. This goes back to where I started with the amalgamation of the schools. This is not going to go away. The messages that I am getting around the place is that other schools are still quite distraught about it. I am concerned where this might lead in the future for staff, students and parents at the Victor Harbor R-7 School.

They might get through the first 12 months but be in no doubt that ultimately it will cost the students—and they are the most important people at the school. I think it is a dreadful mistake and one that this government will regret doing. I hope that the pressure is continued on the minister and the government on this matter.