School Infrastructure Projects

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall government is backing businesses through the school and preschool building design program?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:46): I thank the member for Elder for the question. It is a really important question and it is one that I think identifies two outstanding outcomes of some of the programs we announced in last year's budget and indeed earlier than that, particularly in relation to maintenance grants for schools and preschools throughout South Australia.

Members may recall that we have an annual project of what are called minor works in the education department. It is a substantial figure; it has been in that $10 million to $15 million range for many years. Last year, we had an extra $25 million we injected into supporting school and preschool maintenance programs right at the beginning of the year. Then, in addition to that, we provided $20,000 grants to every preschool in the government system in South Australia.

That $25 million that was injected over and above the usual maintenance program did some very important things. There has been a substantial backlog right across South Australia's public schools for many years in those maintenance projects that are urgent in many cases—important, certainly—and identified by the facilities managers at those schools as requiring asset upgrades. Further to that, having been approved by the infrastructure division within the education department, there was not enough money for all of them.

A backlog of $25 million worth was addressed last year. In the member for Elder's electorate, for example, that includes schools like Clapham Primary School and Westbourne Park Primary School. Earlier, I was talking to the principal of Clapham Primary School, Jodie Kingham. The roof replacement that has been undertaken there at a cost of $200,000 is the perfect example of why this project was important. A $200,000 roof replacement is often going to be well and truly above what a school can manage itself within its own maintenance budget and within its RES.

The backlog wipe-out $25 million we invested enabled that project to take place. It meant that the rusty corrugated iron roof, which was allowing dripping rain to come in in the winter and putting the solar panels at risk of coming down through the ceiling at Clapham Primary School, has now all been replaced as of late last year, thanks to this program.

Down the road at the Westbourne Park Primary School, I was told by Cleo De Gouw, the deputy principal there, that the roof was replaced just before Christmas as well. These are outstanding improvements—minor works, to be sure, in the broader scheme of a $1.3 billion infrastructure project, but critically time sensitive and important works.

Through that $25 million, more than 150 projects around more than 100 South Australian schools were able to benefit—in the member for Elder's seat, in the member for Frome's seat, in the member for Morphett's seat and in the Leader of the Opposition's seat. From Blythe to Bordertown, from Christies Beach to Kingscote, right around South Australia schools have benefited from that program.

But wait, there's more. Every single school and preschool has subsequently benefited from the announcement in last year's budget of a further $30,000 grant for every single preschool in South Australia's government system and grants of between $20,000 and $100,000 for every single school for them to do further breakdown maintenance or uplifting tasks, or ceiling painting or nature play areas or shade structures or kitchen replacements—whatever needs to be done to lift the work at the school.

This has done two things that are really important—to get back to the core of the question. First, it has provided an urgent burst of extra work for local small businesses, tradies, suppliers and businesses across the South Australian community, from the APY lands to Mount Gambier and everywhere in between where these works have been undertaken. Secondly, they have provided a massive uplift to schools—every single government school and preschool in South Australia—lifting the performance of our system as a whole.