School Infrastructure Projects

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister advise the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is addressing urgent capital works across a range of government schools and preschools?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:32): I thank the member for Hammond for this question. He is a passionate advocate for schools, preschools and learning in his electorate. Indeed, it's a great opportunity to be able to talk about the impact of this budget, released by Rob Lucas on Tuesday, his eighth budget, for a range of things.

It's a budget that creates a stronger South Australia. It creates jobs, it builds what matters and it delivers better services, and through this program it is indeed doing all three of those things all at once. There is a $42 million schedule of works announced, according to the education department's priority, for some of the most urgent works, as indeed we follow the education department's advice in our capital investments in South Australia, whether it be new schools, according to the education department's priorities, or indeed scheduled capital works.

This $42 million package of measures is supporting learning in preschools and schools. Lucindale in the South-East to Elliston on the West Coast, Langhorne Creek in the member for Hammond's own electorate, from Salisbury East to Nailsworth, Pimpala Primary School, Seaview Downs, around the city are a group of sites where urgent work has been needed to be done and why we are prioritising that investment. Indeed, some of these projects will start before the end of this year. All will be completed in the next three years.

In the member for Hammond's electorate, the Langhorne Creek campus of the Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School is a case in point. It's a school where there has been significant damage to the facilities. The learning areas are old and past their use-by date, if you like. They have had extensive ongoing conditions for a number of years and that school's governing council, led by Sue Miller and Ian Kent, the principal, have been seeking assistance.

The education department was keen to help fix the buildings as part of our minor works projects, but what was identified last year on close inspection of those buildings was that, to bring those buildings to the level that we expect for our children to be able to have world-class education, teaching and learning, it was going to be a much better prospect to replace them altogether with modern modular facilities that will rapidly enhance the way that the expert teachers at Eastern Fleurieu School are able to deliver the curriculum at that site.

Some of the other projects to be supported in this important announcement include the Balharry kindergarten in Lucindale, where there is an important extension to the preschool to accommodate rural care, which is currently provided in an adjacent building that has significant risk issues and a lack of opportunity for supervision.

In terms of Nailsworth Primary School, Prospect council has handed back to the education department the library that was previously used. It is a complex building requiring significant upgrades for it to be suitable as learning areas. Indeed, for that project we are committing $5 million to ensure that students at Nailsworth Primary School in the member for Enfield's electorate will be able to get the benefit of a world-class education in those facilities.

Not so long ago, the member for King and I visited Salisbury East High School to engage with new principal, Kristen Masters. Indeed, she was engaged with the department already. Certainly, the member for King advocated strongly to pursue a project that ultimately happened, and I am very pleased it formed part of the department's priority, with $4 million to expand the learning areas, particularly two classrooms supporting inclusive education at that school.

I tell you what, we went back and we visited the teachers of those very special young people, and those teachers are very excited. They are making do as best they can at the moment in facilities that are not fit for purpose. They are going to have a specially designed, fit-for-purpose modular facility built for them along with other areas. The rebuilds at Pimpala and Seaview Downs have been on the cards and demanded by those communities for many years. In 16 years of Labor, they got nothing. A Liberal government, in our first four years we are delivering for those two schools.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The time for answering the question has expired.