Coronavirus, Schools

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (14:17): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister update the house on what the Marshall Liberal government is doing to support schools and preschools through the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:17): It's a very important question and I thank the member for Colton for raising this. There is, of course, a critical need to support our schools and preschools through the pandemic. The government has had a very clear policy throughout that our schools and preschools will be kept open in line with the health advice. Not all people have followed that health advice all the way through.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is warned.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I know that for some time at the end of last term those opposite were calling for schools only to be open for essential workers and vulnerable children. They have always been a category we have needed but we have actually said that all children should be supported in line with the health advice and we continue that. We are pleased that the opposition has returned—

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Innovation and Skills is called to order.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —to the advice of Dr Spurrier rather than the advice of Dr Close. The attendance at our schools as of yesterday is up to 90.4 per cent—

Dr Close interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Port Adelaide!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —which is great news for all South Australian children, families and educators. Three per cent of our students are learning from home at this point and 6.6 per cent of our students were reporting as absent yesterday.

Our teachers, leaders and staff have done an amazing job, and I talked a bit about this yesterday. They will, indeed, have a welcome boost today to see salary back pay. As a result of the government's offer in the EB rounds that has now been supported by 78 per cent of our workforce earlier this year, that has gone through the SAET and is now, as of this week's pay, in people's bank accounts. That is absolutely earned and absolutely appropriate and I think it will be particularly welcomed by the 78 per cent of our staff who supported the government's offer.

Through COVID, there have been a range of programs that we have announced and a range of existing programs that were already in place that have provided support to schools, families, teachers and students. In particular, I note that preschools will benefit from a $20,000 grant to all preschools in the public system in South Australia.

It's in their accounts now and they are working through the process of how they will do the maintenance work, the painting, the roofing, the tiling, the shade structures or whatever needs to be done at those preschools to support their work. The member for Colton will be interested to know that in his area the Baden Pattinson Kindergarten, the Fulham Park Preschool Kindergarten, the Henley Community Kindergarten and the West Beach Kindergarten will all benefit from that work.

Also, a $25 million increase in maintenance work for schools has been announced this year across South Australia. Twenty-five of those projects are underway—indeed, a couple have even been completed—12 are at tender, 48 are at design and documentation and 76 are in planning. That work will be very welcome for small businesses and tradies this year. Again, the member for Colton would be pleased to know that the Fulham Gardens Primary School, the Kidman Park Primary School and the West Beach Primary School are all benefiting from a range of projects that have been on the backlog for some time that we are now able to clear through the advancement of this money. This is a backlog of course that's existed for many years.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: It has been raised by the Auditor-General for many years and this government has taken steps to address that backlog, providing work at this critical time. And it is of course on top of our $1.3 billion infrastructure program in our budget, which is a record amount of infrastructure school spending in our budget. The reason it's a record is that this government has announced hundreds of millions of dollars of new projects over and above those which those opposite had left in the budget.

We have also announced the best internet rollout in Australia to which 89 per cent of schools have been connected, going from the slowest to the fastest internet in the nation, and today that will hit 90 per cent when the Cummins Area School and the Barmera Primary School are connected. We have added preschools to that rollout over the next year, and it is showing its value particularly at this difficult time through COVID where it has been called on, and it has achieved what we have sought through better support for our schools and our students in South Australia.

The SPEAKER: For leading that cacophony of noise, I am going to ask the member for Playford to leave for half an hour under 137A, and the member for Morphett is warned.

The honourable member for Playford having withdrawn from the chamber: