Prime Minister's Prizes for Science

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Minister, how are South Australian educators leading the nation?

Ms Chapman: Leading or leaving?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development) (15:05): That would be the member for Davenport who is leaving.

The SPEAKER: The minister is called to order.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Thank you, sir. I want to thank the member for Reynell for this question. It is very timely, being that we are about to celebrate World Teachers Day tomorrow, and it is also the 20^th anniversary of World Teachers Day and the 20^th anniversary of the Council of Education Associations of South Australia. They will be conducting their awards ceremony tomorrow night, acknowledging top teachers here in South Australia.

It goes without saying that we have thousands of dedicated teachers who every day strive to provide the best outcomes for their students, to find new ways to engage them in their learning. It is not an easy job but it is a tremendously rewarding job that can have a positive impact on a child that lasts the rest of their life.

In Canberra last night I was delighted to be a guest at the annual Prime Minister's Prizes for Science. The Prime Minister's Prizes for Science are the nation's most prestigious awards for excellence in Australian scientific research, innovation and science teaching. Brian Schiller, a teacher from Seacliff Primary School, won the national Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools Award, securing $25,000 for himself and $25,000 for his school, with that money going towards improving Seacliff Primary's capacity to teach science.

A good teacher teaches but a great teacher inspires, and that is what Brian Schiller has been doing. He inspires his students to question the world around them. He encourages them to think for themselves. These are the sorts of traits that reflect the best of what our public schools have to offer. In 1995 Brian Schiller was South Australia's state winner in the National Excellence in Teaching Awards. In 2012-13 he was nominated in the South Australian Public Teaching Awards for Excellence in Teaching and in 2013 he was a national finalist for the BHP Billiton Science Teacher Awards. Last night was a very proud night for Brian and his mother and his sisters, all of whom were on hand to see him receive this accolade. When I congratulated his mother, she said, 'I must have done a good job, mustn't I.'

It was a proud night also for Seacliff Primary and the school's principal, Greg Miller, who also attended the night's events. Importantly, it was a proud night for the South Australian public education system. It is a great reminder of the things our teachers do every day in our classrooms and it serves as an inspiration to others working in the public education system and the next generation of teachers.

I would like to think that Brian Schiller's success can be in part attributed to the focus this government has on improving STEM outcomes for our students with minimum instruction times on science, mathematics, numeracy and literacy in our primary schools. We are building specialist schools to create the skilled workforce of the future. Seaview High School will have an advanced manufacturing specialisation, The Heights school, Hamilton College, and so it goes on.

Last night the Prime Minister spoke about the importance of connecting science with industry, and he stood up amongst the crowd and said, 'Last year I said to you don't judge us on what we say, judge us on what we do. I hope we have passed muster.' There was deathly silence apart from one lonely clapper in the audience. If the federal government were truly committed to science education and the connection with the industry, we would be seeing our fleet of submarines built here in South Australia.

The SPEAKER: I warn the Minister for Education for introducing irrelevant material. My understanding is that she was given an excellent feed by the commonwealth government last night, so it seems somewhat churlish to criticise the Prime Minister.