School Infrastructure Projects

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister advise the house as to the impacts of the Marshall government's significant capital works program for schools in my community and across South Australia?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:31): I thank the member for Kavel for his question, and I also note his longstanding and deep and abiding interest in supporting young people's education in his community. The member for Kavel's parents were teachers, and their legacy continues in his endeavours to support education in schools in the towns and cities of Kavel.

I advise the house that the residents in the Kavel electorate are supported by a member of parliament who communicates regularly with ministers. As the Minister for Education, I hear very regularly from the member for Kavel about some of the needs of his schools, in particular in the Mount Barker area with its growing population and some of the challenges that potentially may place on the local education infrastructure in the years ahead.

I advise the member for Kavel and his community that, not just as a result of the weekly phone calls from the member for Kavel about this issue, we are keeping a very close eye on that. I am about to outline works at some of his schools and we will keep a close eye on the needs of some of the other schools. The member for Kavel regularly talks about the needs of Mount Barker South Primary School, a school that he has taken me to more than once—indeed, he brought the governing council chair in to meet me not that long ago—and Littlehampton Primary School, which are also facing capacity challenges.

There is work that we are going to be in a position to look at in the years ahead as the population in Mount Barker potentially grows. We will be keeping a very close eye on that. We are pleased that, as a part of the $1.3 billion in capital works that is in the state budget for educational upgrades around South Australia, there are a couple of particular upgrades within the member for Kavel's electorate. Mount Barker High School has a $6 million project and building work has already commenced. It commenced in April, with completion expected in August next year. The students at Mount Barker High School will see the benefit of the work being done by BluBuilt Constructions Pty Ltd.

The redevelopment will see demolition, new works and refurbishment to existing facilities. It will see the school grow to a capacity of an expected population of approximately 850 students in the foreseeable future. There is refurbishment of the upper level of building 1, providing new general learning areas and service learning areas.

There is an extension to the existing gymnasium, providing a performing arts studio for the site, with an adjacent general learning area. Indeed, the performing arts studio can be subdivided into three general learning area-size teaching areas so that it can be flexibly configured to the needs of either a larger performance or indeed smaller presentations. There is also significant work to ensure disability compliance across the site, demolition of some facilities and a small outdoor teaching area.

But wait, there's more. Since work has begun, we have also added hearing augmentation being provided to all areas in the scope and, indeed, refurbishment of building 6 to accommodate relocation of administration. To deal with a particularly concerning issue for a number of members of the school community with the longstanding safety and compliance challenges, they can now be fixed with that relocation.

Mount Barker Primary School also has a project in scope. It did have an $8.5 million allocation that has been added to by this government, so it's now a shade under $10 million going to support the redevelopment at Mount Barker Primary School. That includes the construction of a new two-storey building comprising new admin facilities; general learning areas, service learning areas and flexible areas; a new disability unit; flexible spaces for learning and specialist amenities; and some demolition of aged buildings.

That project is out to tender for the construction contract and is actually due to close this week. It's anticipated that construction will commence in October this year, with completion expected around the beginning or just before the beginning of the 2022 school year.