Public Works Committee: Mount Compass Area School Redevelopment

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:37): I move:

That the 74^th report of the committee for the Fifty-Fourth Parliament, entitled Mount Compass Area School Redevelopment Project, be noted.

The R-12 Mount Compass Area School requires additional capacity to support the transition of year 7 students to high school in 2022. The school was allocated total project funding of $9.75 million as part of the Department for Education's capital works program.

Broadly, the scope of the redevelopment at Mount Compass includes construction of new buildings and refurbishment to existing facilities. The scope of work in more detail contemplates the construction of a new administration building with foyer and reception areas, offices, storage and staff amenities; the construction of a new art and technical studies building with teacher preparation, storage and student amenities; and a new student services building with book and uniform storage and student facilities or amenities within that portion of the construction as well.

The scope of work also incorporates a new home economics building with learning areas, a new school canteen, the construction of a new dual classroom building that would also be used as a performance space, refurbishment of change rooms and the gym, and a new school entry. When complete, the redevelopment project will provide Mount Compass Area School with the required capacity to accommodate 600 students and, in doing so, will cater for the future transition of year 7 students to high school, as earlier mentioned.

The committee has examined written evidence in relation to the Mount Compass Area School redevelopment project, which advised that the appropriate consultation in relation to this project had been undertaken. The committee is satisfied that the proposal has been subject to the appropriate agency consultation and meets the criteria for the examination of projects as set out in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991.

Having regard to the evidence considered, and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the scope of the proposed public works.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (11:39): It is an absolute delight for me to be able to reflect on this extremely positive project at Mount Compass Area School. It is a project, indeed, which was born with a $5 million proposal offered in 2017 by the former government but which this government expanded, firstly, to be some $9 million and changed, as the member for Kavel just identified, and then, to ensure that we could gain the full scope of the project, I have given authority for that to be expanded to an $11.1 million investment.

It is an investment by the people of South Australia that will ensure that Mount Compass Area School can have the redevelopment that it needs not only to enable the year 7 transition to go forward with appropriate capacity, and indeed the quality of the infrastructure for those year 7s to access the junior secondary curriculum in the way that it is designed to be taught, but also to deal with some of the extremely ageing infrastructure that was unfortunately left for many, many years by the former government. A number of those issues have been on the cards for a long time in need of address. I am really pleased that we are able to now do so.

I remember visiting this school a couple of years ago with the member for Finniss—in fact, I think it was October 2018. He obviously has very close connections with this school community and has had a long period of time. We were impressed by the way that the school is integrating their STEM facility into the way the school is working, but there was so much left to do. We are really pleased that this project will now do that with the new administration building, the improved home economics and the new tech studies facility.

I remember going into that existing tech studies facility with Mr Basham, the local MP. I tell you what, the tech studies facilities I remember from the 1990s were a bit dated then, but I think that unfortunately Mount Compass Area School in 2018 was in a very similar situation to mine in the early 1990s. It is going to be a dramatically welcomed step forward I think by the school and the school community. Improving disability access on a site that is quite undulating I think will also be very welcome.

I am very confident that Dash Architects and Cook Building and Development, the builders, will support the school very well, and I cannot wait to see what is achieved, hopefully without any foreseeable troubles, in October next year.

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:42): I acknowledge the minister's commitment to this project over a number of years, his familiarity with the needs of the school and the work he has undertaken very closely, I might add, with the member for Finniss to ensure that additional funding can be brought forward to see this project to completion.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: And the member for Mayo as well.

Mr CREGAN: It is also right for me to acknowledge the member for Mayo's contribution to ensuring the completion of the project. The member Finniss, as you know, Mr Speaker, sharing a boundary as you do, is a passionate advocate for improvements to education within his electoral district and further afield and is very familiar with the needs of the school.

The additional funding is certainly needed and much appreciated by the school community, and it will see and ensure the development of new facilities that will stand the school in good stead for the growth that is anticipated as a result of the transition of year 7s into high school and additional future needs at the school site.

We are also very appreciative of Dash Architects and Cook, the builders, and acknowledge those very hardworking education department staff who have ensured, too, that this project can be realised in the appropriate form that it has been.

Motion carried.