Public Works Committee: Evanston Gardens Primary School Redevelopment

Adjourned debate on motion of Ms Digance:

That the 519^th report of the committee, entitled Evanston Gardens Primary School Redevelopment, be noted.

(Continued from 17 June 2015.)

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:41): I welcome the 519^th report of the Public Works Committee. Obviously it is a hardworking committee, as the member for Finniss said, but I argue with him when he says that the Natural Resources Committee is the hardest working committee. I would like to lobby that the Public Works Committee is equally hard working. Hear, hear!

After conducting a number of site visits in recent months, the Evanston Gardens Primary School redevelopment has been heralded as a great achievement for those people out there who started off with a very humble beginning. The primary school redevelopment has been put forward by the Department for Education and Child Development at a cost of about $6 million.

The school has a proud history in South Australia, opening in 1908 with a humble beginning. I noted the screams of joy when this redevelopment was announced and it really is accommodating the considerable boom in population out there. It is one of those areas that has been given the opportunity to grow—cheap land, good people. What we are seeing out there now is that the people who attended the original Evanston Gardens school are now attending as parents, attending as volunteers and that makes for a great standing in the community.

Currently the school has just under 140 students, but with the rezoning it is envisaged that there will be large growth, as I have said, and the Evanston Gardens Primary School is set to prosper and grow in its numbers to beyond 400. On that note, I commend the project to the house and hopefully it will benefit many generations to come.

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (11:43): Thank you to the member for Chaffey for his contribution to this debate about the Evanston Gardens Primary School redevelopment. It certainly is an important piece of infrastructure for the local people in that area given the predictions in population. So thank you to the hardworking Public Works Committee, and I do think it is the hardest working committee—absolutely, yes.

An honourable member interjecting:

Ms DIGANCE: Competition happening! And also to the executive officer and the administrative officer and all those who have prepared the information for us to consider. I commend the report to the house.

Motion carried.