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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-24 Daily Xml
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FORBES PRIMARY SCHOOL

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:07): My question is to the Minister for Education. When and how was the Minister for Education first made aware that the Forbes Primary School was using water from a contaminated zone, and when did he inform the school?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (15:07): I thank the honourable member for his question. The question presumes that the Forbes Primary School was in fact using water from a contaminated zone.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That is what you said in your question. If you want to have another question, rephrase it. I cannot help you if you cannot ask a question in the precise terms you really want to ask it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The deputy leader has been a stickler for the standing orders. Can he stop interjecting? It is out of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will continue with no interjections from the other side.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It is important that we give this information to the house, Madam Speaker, because it actually goes to the question of risk, and that is presumably what the community wants to know about. In relation to the particular bore in question at the Forbes Primary School, I am advised that it draws from a very deep level of the aquifer; something in the order of 35 to 45 metres. That, apparently, is not the level of the aquifer that is implicated in the potential contamination which is coming from the Hills Industries site.

Notwithstanding that, as soon as the EPA advised the education department—and I think that was on Monday of this week, but I will bring back to the house a precise answer. I became aware of this on Monday when cabinet was advised. I am not certain when the EPA took this step with the education department, but as soon as they took that step the school community was advised and they ceased using the bore until tests could be undertaken, although there was a very strong likelihood that this particular bore would not be implicated in this contamination. In any event they have taken the precaution, that testing is underway, and when we have those results we will then be able to act on the basis of those results.

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