Schools with Internet Fibre Technology Program

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister update the house on the delivery of improved internet services to South Australian schools, including in my electorate of Colton?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:51): I am very pleased to have this question from the member for Colton, who I know cares passionately and deeply about the best interest of students not only in schools in his electorate but around South Australia, as I certainly know that all members on this side of the house do. The member for Colton asked about the internet program about which I have provided some information to the house previously. Over the last year, it has been outstanding to see the enhancements to the infrastructure in so many schools across South Australia.

Of course, in the 21^st century, having connections through the internet to the world is part of what we expect in the modern curriculum and the pedagogy of being able to deliver effective classroom practice is critical, and also for professional development, not just in the member for Colton's area but, indeed, in regional South Australia that is utterly critical and can save days of teachers being away from schools sometimes.

Across South Australia, since the end of last year, when the Premier and I were able to join the member for Morphett at Glenelg Primary School in announcing our $80 million partnership with Telstra, 264 schools have been connected through this fibre-optic internet connection, the uncontested delivery of the internet that schools need—131,000 students and 15,000 educators. This is a drastic improvement. I'm pleased to advise the house that the project is 49 per cent complete and was an outstanding start in the last year.

The member for Colton asked about schools in his electorate. I can advise that most recently—a couple of weeks ago now—the St Leonard's Primary School was connected, joining the Fulham Gardens Primary School, the Fulham North Primary School, the Henley High School and the West Beach Primary School, all of which had the infrastructure delivered earlier in the year. The member for Colton would be encouraged to know that Henley Beach Primary School and Kidman Park Primary School will be joining those other schools in the next couple of weeks. They are due for connection in week 3 of term 4.

I can advise the house that also due in coming days are Roseworthy Primary School, Fairview Park Primary School, Northfield Primary School, Ingle Farm Primary School, Morphett Vale East R-7 School, the Mount Baker High School, Hahndorf Primary School, Vale Park Primary School, Hillcrest Primary School, Elizabeth Downs Primary School and the Wallaroo Primary School. I know that the members for Schubert, Newland, Enfield, Florey, Reynell, Kavel, Torrens, Elizabeth and Narungga will all be very pleased, as will their constituents, about those connections happening in their electorate.

As I have been travelling around South Australia over the last year, since we announced this program, whenever we are in a school that has had this connection, with the infrastructure laid in, with fibres connected and the solution switched on, it has been so encouraging to hear the way that teachers, students and school leaders have all talked about the difference that it has made in their school.

It is essential that a school has the capacity if a classroom is using a project that relies on the internet that they can do that, that a teacher can plan a lesson and that the students can prepare their work knowing that, when they all switch on the internet at the same time, it is not going to cause the neighbouring classroom to have their internet drop out, which in many cases was the sort of thing that happened.

Across Australia, every other mainland state had faster internet services than us up until this year, and we are on track that by the middle of next year, by the end of June next year when this program is due for completion, to have gone from the slowest internet in the country to the fastest internet in the country in our schools.

That is not just delivering a great opportunity for improved and enhanced learning in our public schools system. I know that the Catholic system and a number of independent schools have also been in discussion with Telstra, as indeed have other government departments. What we are also going to see, particularly across regional South Australia where sometimes there has not been this cable connection before, are services to those communities that will radically enhance the internet connection for constituents, residents, businesses and other government services right across this state, and I commend this program to the house.