SCHOOL AMALGAMATIONS

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:48): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Industrial Relations, representing the Minister for Education, a question regarding the review process for the amalgamation of collocated schools.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: As members of the chamber are aware, currently there are a number of schools—some 42, I believe—undergoing a process of establishing review processes and review committees to address the possibility that they may have to amalgamate their collocated schools. The minister representing the minister will also be aware that delegates and members are duly assembled to form those committees that are on those review processes, and these include two ministerial appointed people, a representative of local government where appropriate, teachers, parents, and, of course, a representative of the Education Union.

For some schools such as those at Largs Bay, this review process has actually become a regular occurrence, with that school community voting in 2009 at a rate of 88 per cent of that community against the idea of an amalgamation. I would like to point out that teachers, staff members and parents are putting in their volunteer time and resources to sit on these review committees and they are only doing so because they are not in favour of an amalgamation. Yet, they are being asked in that particular case, and in many others, to reconsider that decision.

I also emphasise that parents are putting in their voluntary time away from paid jobs or caring commitments to sit on these committees and, not only is there no recompense at the moment, there is no guarantee that their recommendations will in fact be acted upon. My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister inform this council of the overall costs being allocated to establish these review committees and this review process?

2. Are those costs being taken from the education budget or from general revenue?

3. How many of the ministerial appointed members within these review committees are receiving payment for sitting fees or the like or other tasks they have been allocated?

4. How many of those members are receiving payments? What level of recompense are they receiving at either an hourly or other rate? What is the total expected to be of those payments?

5. What compensation is the minister providing to school staff who were providing their time and resources for these committees?

6. What recompense is being allocated to the parents and volunteers who were missing out on paid work and other caring commitments to serve on these committees?

7. Could the minister tell us also whether the savings of some $300,000 to $360,000 per school will actually be returned to the education budget or whether they will also be returned to consolidated revenue?

8. What guarantee do these schools have that the minister will accept their concerns and, if the minister does accept their concerns, that they will not be doing this process again in this current term of the Rann-Weatherill government?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:52): I thank the member for that very important question. I will take it on notice and refer it to my colleague in the lower house.