Grievance Debate

Goyder Electorate School Closures

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:20): I wish to talk about two of the schools in the Goyder electorate today and sadly put on the record that, as a result of enrolment numbers and a decision made by the parent bodies, it is intended that the schools will close at the end of this year. I am grateful that the minister is in the chamber at the moment. She would be aware that Port Vincent Primary School and Edithburgh Primary School are two great little schools on the eastern coast of Yorke Peninsula.

Some members in this chamber might have visited these schools in the past, and they would be aware of how good they are but, as a result of the declining numbers, it has been necessary for the schools to really consider what the future is. Recent polls have been conducted by the parent groups, and the very regrettable but probably only decision that could have been made by the parent bodies was to close. The children who would normally go to the Port Vincent Primary School will be going to the Minlaton District School instead, so that is a bus trip for those kids. The children from the Edithburgh Primary School will be taking a bus trip to Yorketown which is where I went to school.

It is very unfortunate. I have visited both of those schools many times, sometimes on an official visit and not just as an MP. In my previous role, I escorted the Governor when visiting Yorke Peninsula and took him to the Edithburgh Primary School. We have been very proud of what this school portrays and the quality of education that has come from it. While small in student numbers and relatively small in size, these schools have done super jobs not just with the current generation of students—I have some younger relatives who have been students at Edithburgh Primary School and relatives who have worked there—but with the previous generations.

This is exemplified by the fact that the Edithburgh Primary School celebrated their centenary of education on that site in 2013. I was blessed to be there, and my mother, too, came for that because she went to school there. I did not go to school there, but it just shows that multiple generations of families have. When grandparents, their children and now their grandchildren had been at that school, there was real pride on that day in the quality of what they managed to get out of it.

There were memories recalled about the good and bad things that, as young people, we all get up to. It was a special day. Celebrations were held and rightly so. There were discussions going on even in 2013 about the future of the Edithburgh Primary School. It was fantastic that they got through that period, but the challenge has become even greater for them so the very regrettable decision was made to close up.

Probably all members of parliament try to get to as many end of school year functions as possible and witness the very proud young kids being presented with awards and the pride of the parents and relatives who are there watching the culmination of 12 months of education and effort. I am going to try to make sure that, in particular, I go to Edithburgh Primary School and Port Vincent Primary School because I want to be part of that last day which will be rather challenging.

Port Vincent Primary School celebrated their centenary in 1996, so they have provided 120 years of education continuously from that site. This school has been extra special, I must say. They have had a very strong focus on marine studies. I have witnessed some of their displays and been told the stories of when, not that long ago, students went to Japan to an international symposium to present the studies they had undertaken of the marine environment around that school area and the seas close by. The kids have learnt an enormous amount that is a bit different from what most other schools would be doing, but I think it has helped equip them for later education and life, too.

For the current generation of parents, this is a concern. For the current generation of students who have to get on the big bus sooner than they probably would have had to to go to a bigger school, that will be an issue for them. However, I am sure the integration that will occur between those students and the kids from the Minlaton and Yorketown schools will be good, but it is going to be sad to see no activity taking place within the physical structures for 40 weeks of the year.

My hope is that the positive outcome that can come from this is that there is an opportunity to negotiate with the communities in Port Vincent and Edithburgh, which have very strong progress associations that have driven an enormous amount of community development, to make use of those structures. The schools have good facilities and they have benefited from some improvements in recent years, which will no longer be used for education purposes, but they can be used for community services in a different way.

As part of the consideration about the future of the sites, I hope the minister ensures that the local community is given an opportunity to benefit so that, while sadness comes from the closure, some positives can come from the future use of the structures. I say goodbye, sadly, to the Edithburgh Primary School and the Port Vincent Primary School.