School Infrastructure Projects

Ms LUETHEN (King) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister advise the house how the Marshall Liberal government is planning for the future by delivering a $1.3 billion school infrastructure program across South Australia, particularly in the electorate of King?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:03): I thank the member for King for her question. I know the passion that she has for education. I have seen on the ground in her electorate as recently as last week when I was visiting schools in her electorate, talking to teachers, talking to children and leaders at schools and preschools about the work that is done in those schools, the work the education department is doing in those schools and indeed the engagement the member for King has with those schools and preschools. A number of them are very pleased in particular about the work the Marshall Liberal government has done during this period of the coronavirus pandemic where we have introduced—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —new grants to every preschool in South Australia—$20,000 last year, $30,000 this year—to enhance their infrastructure and to do urgent maintenance tasks. A number of them have had these tasks on their list for years and years and years but had never had the flexibility in their budgets to be able to address them. Indeed, those preschools, whether they were doing nature play areas or fences or kitchen upgrades or tiling or roofing or verandah extensions or, indeed, as at one of the preschools that we visited with the member for King last week, all those things all at once, did so because of the support that has been given through the pandemic, through these two rounds of grants to all of our preschools.

Also, all our schools have benefited from those maintenance grants of between $20,000 and $100,000, and there have been extended maintenance grants—$25 million worth of grants earlier last year—for schools that had had projects on the department's waiting list for some time but the annual program of minor works had never been sufficient to cover it.

Indeed, Salisbury East High School was one of the schools that the member for King and I visited again last week, and they have benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars of grants in that space and are able to address some of those urgent maintenance tasks which were not funded for year upon year upon year upon year. That work is now able to be underway and I am really, really grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time with staff and students and the new principal at that school.

Of course, there are significant maintenance projects around South Australia—$1.3 billion worth of work. We welcomed in late 2017, towards the end of the 16 years that Labor was in power, the commitment of about $700 million, mostly as a result of the sale of the lands titles office, some of it going through the forward years of the education and infrastructure budget and, of course, $15 million they identified from their commitment to flog off the land at the Rostrevor campus of Norwood Morialta High School that they put into the budget papers but never told anybody about.

We nevertheless welcomed those investments and we are following through with those investments, indeed with the exception of the $15 million that the Labor Party was going to gain from flogging off the land of the Rostrevor campus of the Norwood Morialta High School that they put into the budget but never told anyone about. We have reversed that decision while we investigate what are the future needs—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —for the education department in the eastern suburbs and that work and that consideration is underway. One of the things that the member for King and I learnt last week at the Salisbury Heights Preschool was indeed the value that the preschools—we know many schools around South Australia have benefited from the investment we made to take South Australia's school internet from the slowest in the mainland to the fastest in the nation, a really important project announced at Glenelg Primary School between the member for Morphett and myself—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —and the Premier in late 2018. We have expanded it to all preschools. Preschools have particularly identified the value of that during COVID in the relationship they have with their parents in sharing the students' learning. It is just another example of why the investment in high-speed internet, the investment in construction and maintenance is benefitting our schools and helping us to deliver a world-class education for all South Australian children.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!