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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-03-03 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

VICTOR HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL REDEVELOPMENT

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:28): Today I wish to draw to the house's attention the hypocritical situation regarding the redevelopment of the Victor Harbor High School. This project came before the Public Works Committee nearly six months ago, in October of last year, and we were of the understanding that things were going to happen quickly and that building work would commence in pretty short order. Indeed, the Victor Harbor High School community was of the same opinion.

This is a project of around $6 million that was first agreed to and budgeted for in 2001 by the former Liberal government and then shelved by the Rann government in 2002. The South Coast community has been left swinging for a great number of years since that time. The students, staff and parents of Victor Harbor High School are all absolutely fed up to the back teeth with what has been going on and, more to the point, what has not been going on.

The Rann government has treated the South Coast with contempt over the issue. I now find that I am receiving regular phone calls and there are people coming up to me, particularly parents and, more latterly, staff of the Victor Harbor High School, who are absolutely fed up to the back teeth with why no action has been undertaken at this stage. It is bureaucratic stupidity, it is a lack of leadership from the minister and it should be condemned.

Quite simply, it is not good enough for the students of Victor Harbor High School to have to put up with the primitive conditions that many of them are in. It is not good enough for the morale of the school that this has happened. Even more to the point, at a Public Works Committee meeting tomorrow we will discuss a report from the Department of Education and Children's Services which states that work will commence before the end of February. Let me remind members that today is 3 March and nothing has happened—absolutely nothing whatsoever has happened. This redevelopment will include a stand-alone building which will provide administration and staff rooms, a resource centre, five classrooms and four art rooms.

Quite frankly, one wonders about the lateral thinking and common sense in the department that allows this situation to develop. If it was the private sector it would have happened months ago. The decision would have been taken by the board of directors or the management, or whoever, and a builder would have been found and the damn thing would be halfway completed. Instead not a sod has been turned. Outdated buildings, which have been boarded up, are being broken into on weekends.

There is a frustrated school community and a frustrated governing council. I suspect there is a highly frustrated executive within the school staff. Even as late as yesterday a staff member spoke to me and they are outraged at what is not taking place. The Premier is grandstanding and issuing declarations that principals must hurry to be part of the federal government's stimulus package, yet the government is not doing anything about the state government's package. The state government's capital works program in this respect was agreed to in the budget nearly 12 months ago when this was announced but still nothing has happened. I speak loudly and clearly on behalf of my constituents in that school community.

It is simply not appropriate to have nothing happen nearly six months after the high school redevelopment went through the Public Works Committee. One of the problems is that staff are reluctant to be vocal about it because they fear the wrath of the people who shine their backsides in central offices in the city. They fear retribution. The governing council is highly annoyed.

One questions what is happening with the capital works program in South Australia on many issues, but in the schools, it seems to me, everything is held up and slowed down. It has to go through 99 committees and it takes an incredible time to get a successful tenderer. All in all, the abrogation of responsibility by the DECS people and the minister on this issue is not good enough. Why should the good people of the South Coast be left in this situation? I urge some immediate attention to the matter.

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