Public Works Committee: Elizabeth North Primary School Redevelopment

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:17): I move:

That the 91^st report of the committee for the Fifty-Fourth Parliament, entitled Elizabeth North Primary School Redevelopment, be noted.

The Elizabeth North Primary School redevelopment project will be delivering a total school enrolment capacity of 700 places by 2022. The proposed scope of works for the primary school redevelopment includes the provision of two new permanent modular buildings. This will include general learning areas, serviced learning areas, a breakout space, teacher preparation areas, withdrawal rooms, student and disability access amenities and a sensory room. The project will also include the demolition of aged transportable classrooms on the school site.

Elizabeth North Primary School was allocated funding of $5 million as part of the Department for Education's capital works program announced in October 2017. In October 2019, the state government approved the Elizabeth North Primary School capital works project to be delivered as part of a modular education facilities program.

The Public Works Committee received written and oral evidence in relation to the project. The committee is satisfied the proposal has been subject to the appropriate agency consultation and meets the criteria for the examination of projects as described in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991. Based on the evidence considered, and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act, the Public Works Committee recommends to parliament that the proposed scope of works be approved.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (11:19): I am really pleased to be able to reflect on the outstanding work being done at the Elizabeth North Primary School, both throughout the school year and as part of this program. We have a $5 million build underway, and we are looking forward to it being completed during the course of this year and hopefully in use—we definitely want it to be in use by the beginning of next year, but I am optimistic that it will be in use well before the end of this school year.

The work comprises new modular facilities, as the member for Kavel described. Indeed, it is the first one of these projects completed at the beginning of this year from the schedule at Le Fevre High School. To reflect briefly on this, since the extraordinary investment, the $1.3 billion record school infrastructure build that has been underway now, and since the beginning of this project, one of its impacts has been a significant number of new investments in modular facilities.

These are not the old transportables of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s that in many cases are a bit of an eyesore across our education facilities in South Australia. These modern modular facilities are extraordinarily user friendly. They are excellent spaces, they are large classrooms, and they are indeed also science labs, drama spaces and dance spaces. They are very flexible in what can be created as a result of the technologies now being used in delivering modular facilities.

Sir, in your own electorate, we know the impact that some of these modern modulars have had on the Eastern Fleurieu School since their delivery in the last year and a half or so. Indeed, I was pleased to see that, as part of the broader program, more of these modular facilities were delivered at Eastern Fleurieu just this week, which are now being plumbed in.

The benefits of the modern modular facilities, where they are appropriate to be used, are significant because in many cases they are cheaper than a traditional bricks-and-mortar build. As a result of this investment, they are now seeing a significant number of new jobs here in South Australia, as South Australian companies—Ausco, Sarah Constructions and others—and other investments in South Australia build the capacity to build these modulars. The price of the modulars is coming down but the quality is significant.

They are not appropriate for all schools, and we are not trying to impose them on all schools, but there are opportunities in a number of the schools where we have building works for these modular facilities to provide the school with much more than they would otherwise have been able to get. There are also advantages to manufacturing off site and delivering on site, because it means that the disruption to the school that can happen while a school infrastructure program is underway is reduced significantly.

Rather than a section of the school where the building is going up being potentially unusable for the school for two terms or more, some of the modular facilities are able to be delivered on site and then the work is done on site within six to eight weeks, potentially—or potentially even less, depending on the individual circumstances. It is still a good outcome for South Australian jobs, because of course in the modular construction industry itself there are jobs, and then there are many jobs for local tradies in doing the work on site as those facilities are being delivered. That is certainly going to be the case at Elizabeth North Primary School.

I would like to congratulate the architects at Das Studio; Fleetwood Australia, who are the builders in this case; the principal, Graham Wood; and the school leadership team. The school's governing council is of course doing terrific work for the 608 students they have at the school now. It is a high-demand school in the area. That capacity will grow as a result of this set of building works. We are also seeing the demolition and removal of some of the aged infrastructure, which is being replaced with these world-class, modern facilities. I cannot wait to see them in action.

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:23): I acknowledge the contribution of the Minister for Education and refer to my earlier remarks emphasising the extraordinary capital works program that he has seen through, not just in relation to Elizabeth North Primary School but right across the state. I also wish to emphasise and record our thanks for the work of Graham Wood, principal, and the governing council in seeing this project through.

Motion carried.