School Infrastructure Projects

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (15:12): My question is to the Minister for Education. Could the minister please update the house on the benefits of the Marshall Liberal government's $1.3 billion investment in schools, which is creating jobs, particularly for South Australians living in my electorate of Narungga?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:12): I thank the member for Narungga for the question. It is indeed a great question because there are many benefits to the people of South Australia both in the Narungga area and, indeed, surrounding areas in regional and remote South Australia. There are many, many thousands of jobs being created across our state as a result of both the $1.3 billion pipeline of capital works as a result of the stimulus measures, as a result of the COVID pandemic and the budget last year and, indeed, as a result of a number of other infrastructure and maintenance works being undertaken by the education department.

I was talking to Adrian Esplin from Sarah Constructions just a couple of weeks ago. They of course are a South Australian firm that have been successful in working with the two PPP schools at Aldinga and Angle Vale. Indeed, they also won the contract for the Whyalla school that we are undertaking at the moment. Not only are they employing thousands of South Australians on that project but they or their contractors are also employing hundreds and hundreds of apprentices, many of them young people undertaking their first job.

It is a piece of a great body of work that has been done by the Minister for Innovation and Skills to have South Australia more well-positioned than any other jurisdiction in Australia to deliver apprentices and traineeships—jobs that are going to be there for many years to come, careers for young people, and really repositioning those skilled and technical qualifications as a priority sector. We know that the body of work being undertaken in building our schools across South Australia, as we build those world-class educational facilities, is providing that great outcome for apprenticeships and traineeships as well, as well of course as thousands of jobs right now.

The legacy that these projects are leaving in regional communities is significant. The Kadina Memorial School and the Moonta Area School in the member's electorate are significant projects and well underway. Kadina should be completed in term 3 or 4 this year. Moonta is actually on track to be completed in the first half of this year. Students will be benefiting from that right away.

In neighbouring areas—I can tell the member for Narungga too, and I am sure he and other members will be pleased—in the member for Stuart's electorate, the Port Augusta Secondary School project, in the order of $4 million to $5 million, is well underway to be completed this year. The Kapunda High School, a $15 million project, is also due to be completed this year, creating jobs and work is underway.

In the area of Frome, neighbouring the member for Narungga's electorate, the John Pirie Secondary School has some great work underway: a $10½ million project due to be completed during term 4. At Balaklava High School, I was really pleased to meet the principal and a number of the students who were in year 10 and 11 last year, going into 11 and 12 this year, at the Ausco production line where a number of their modular facilities are being built. That project is due to be completed in April this year, so students should be using it by term 3 and those students were really excited to see how that work is being completed.

The modular building industry in South Australia has dramatically benefited from this body of works. New factories have been built. Indeed, new jobs are being created in this area. Clare High School in the member for Frome's electorate has also got a $5 million program due to be completed in the second half of this year. That's been supported by accelerated maintenance projects: tens of millions of dollars by this government into schools and preschools.

Every public school and every public preschool in South Australia has benefited from grants of between $20,000 and $100,000 to do priority projects. Indeed, preschools have had a $20,000 grant for last year backed up by a $30,000 grant for this year, every single one providing local jobs when they're needed most and providing a lasting legacy for the children in regional communities in South Australia and in metropolitan Adelaide.