Entrepreneurial Specialist Schools

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (15:07): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister update the house on the government's plans to increase skills and entrepreneurship in our young people?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:07): I am very pleased to advise that I can. I thank the member for Newland for his question because I know that he is deeply concerned about the benefits that are available to students from entrepreneurial education—students in his electorate and across South Australia.

Students in the Newland electorate will particularly benefit, including those going to Banksia Park International High School, which was last week named as one of our new five entrepreneurial specialist schools in the South Australian education system. Members might remember that during the election campaign the Liberal Party committed to having a new entrepreneurial learning strategy and four leadership schools, four specialist schools in entrepreneurialism.

This is another example of the Marshall Liberal government underpromising and overdelivering. We have, in fact, named five: Banksia Park International High School, Heathfield High School, Seaton High School—

The Hon. A. Piccolo interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Light is warned.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —Mount Gambier High School and Murray Bridge High School. These are fantastic schools that have gone through a process, put their hands up and said, 'We would love to take this opportunity. We would love to have this opportunity.'

The Hon. A. Piccolo: You made a big announcement about it already weeks ago.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The member for Light says that I'm taking it from a website. I invite him to explain how—

The SPEAKER: I have done the same, minister.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —given that I haven't looked at a note yet.

The SPEAKER: I have done the same.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: But there are very, very useful pieces of information that those opposite might like to know about.

The SPEAKER: Is the member for Waite laughing?

Mr Duluk: No, sir.

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The fact of the matter is that these five schools will benefit from new positions: an assistant principal position, or a leader position, and a specialist teacher, who will help them develop programs that are specific to their school as part of a broader strategy across the whole state. They will also engage with the secondary network of schools that they are already associated with—the five specialist schools.

There are 41 schools, I believe, give or take a couple, in their secondary networks that will benefit from professional development opportunities for their teachers to engage with the specialist schools, as well as being able to collaborate on projects. Indeed, all secondary schools across the state will benefit from the broad strategy. It will be led in these five sites, but all secondary sites will benefit.

The SACE Board is a key partner in this work. Stage 1 of their new business innovation subject, which will be available next year and stage 2 in 2020, will be taught at these schools and is available to all schools around South Australia. VET is an important part of the project, and certificate training is critically important. Indeed, traineeships and apprenticeships are key and important in entrepreneurial education, particularly Certificate III in Micro Business, which is one subject that will be taught at many of these sites, but there will be a range of others that will be site specific.

Last week, it was wonderful being able to visit the Banksia Park International High School with the member for Newland to discuss this with the principal, Roley Coulter, and a group of students who had been involved in putting together the pitch that helped Banksia Park be nominated as a winning school. It was also wonderful to visit other schools last week.

A few weeks ago, I met with Mr Richard Abell, the principal of Seaton High School, who is going to be collaborating with Henley High School and other schools in the western suburbs in their programs. At the time, they didn't know they were going to get it, but they were so excited about the project that they had put forward that, when the minister came to talk to the partnership, they wanted to discuss the opportunities. I know that the member for Heysen has been discussing with Mr Roy Page, the principal of Heathfield, some of the opportunities that Heathfield has put forward.

The spread of opportunities across this state is significant because young people are going to be given new opportunities to think about not just the businesses they might start up, the people they might start to employ, but also the social enterprises they might start working on or the entrepreneurial thinking that will guide them in their work for whatever organisation they may happen to work for in the years ahead. This is a key strategy of the Marshall Liberal government's election commitments. We have underpromised and overdelivered, and we are very excited to see how it rolls out.