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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-07-14 Daily Xml
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BUILDING THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION

Ms CICCARELLO (Norwood) (15:16): Over the past few weeks, all we seem to have heard about is the Liberal Party and its desperate attempts to reclaim some relevance on the political landscape. Whilst this may serve as entertaining grist for water-cooler conversation and the media, I would rather talk about the positive messages and programs out there—and there is none greater than the Building the Education Revolution program.

While this program tends now to have been relegated to the pages of school newsletters, it should never be forgotten that it is the biggest single school infrastructure investment in the history of not only our country but also our state. The phrases 'record spending' and 'biggest investment' are bandied about quite often but, in this case, they are undeniably true.

What I am talking about here is a $14.7 billion investment across Australia to build and modernise its 9,540 schools. Not only will it deliver much-needed funding for infrastructure and school refurbishment projects but it will also play an important part in creating immediate support for over 4,500 local jobs and helping to protect the Australian economy against the winds of global instability.

I am delighted that South Australian schools have received almost $1 billion of funding, with more to come. In my electorate, 12 schools have already received funding of $20.4 million, and four of those schools will receive many more millions with the announcement of the final round of the Primary Schools for the 21st Century program. This is one of the three components that make up the Building the Education Revolution initiative.

National School Pride is a $1.3 billion investment for minor infrastructure and refurbishment projects, with up to $200,000 allocated to every school in South Australia. Primary Schools for the 21st Century is a $12.4 billion investment for large-scale infrastructure; including libraries, multipurpose halls and new classrooms, with up to $3 million going to every school in South Australia.

The Science and Language Centres for 21st Century Secondary Schools is a $1 billion long-term investment to build around 500 new science laboratories and language learning centres in schools with a demonstrated need. I was particularly delighted last week when it was announced that Marden Senior College, in my electorate, received almost $300,000 for a new science centre.

I have spoken in this place before about Marden Senior College and the fantastic work it does in setting its students upon meaningful and manageable pathways to employment and further study, so it was enormously satisfying to see its role in the community rewarded with such a substantial grant.

Over the past few months, I have visited many schools in my electorate, and I am thrilled to see so many plans are finalised and works well underway. It is a great experience as a local member to see at first hand the enormous impact these developments will undoubtedly have upon the schools and their communities.

Whilst it is entirely appropriate to celebrate the commitment and vision of the federal government in delivering fantastic education outcomes, we must not forget that the Rann government also plays an integral part in ensuring that our schools are appropriately maintained. It is worthwhile noting that the National School Pride program component of the federal investment is, in fact, modelled on our very own $36 million School Pride initiative, which we pioneered in 2004.

Education has always been a top priority of the Rann government, and this is clearly shown by its unwavering commitment to its rebuilding program, which includes the $216 million Education Works initiative. As members are no doubt aware, this fantastic program is delivering six brand-new schools in the Adelaide metropolitan area, as well as establishing trade schools, children's centres and investing in schools that voluntarily restructure their services.

However, this is only one of the ways in which we are investing in school redevelopment. Major school redevelopments are funded annually through the state budget schools capital works program and, as the Presiding Member of the Public Works Committee, I am always very interested and pleased to hear about the major school works projects. I am also very pleased that, since the Rann government came to office in 2002, we have invested more than $790 million into school redevelopment, maintenance and improvement. We have always recognised that education and the infrastructure needed to support its quality delivery are a top priority. Our partnership with the federal government in delivering better schools for South Australia's children only reinforces this.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Hon. G.M. Gunn): The member for Unley.

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