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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-03-23 Daily Xml
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PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE: MAGILL SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (11:47): I move:

That the 394th report of the committee, entitled Magill School Consolidation, be noted.

Pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed works.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (11:47): I rise to indicate support for the motion. The opposition does indeed support this project, and I believe that the member for Morialta wants to say something.

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (11:47): It gives me great pleasure to rise to support the motion, and indicate my support for the building works that will be undertaken at the Magill school site. The Magill Primary School and the Magill Junior Primary School will enjoy the benefits of $5.644 million worth of works.

I went to Magill school in 2008 to meet with the chairman of the governing council, Sharon Wachtel, the then principal of the Magill Primary School, Helen Calvert, and the then principal of the Magill Junior Primary School, Wilma Sullivan, to talk about this project. Under the Education Works budget, the two schools had been encouraged to come together and form just one school, on the understanding that this sort of important work would be carried out. Magill Primary School students, teachers and administration staff had been operating very well in difficult conditions for far too long, for several decades in the same transportable classrooms that were insufficient to the ongoing needs of a school such as Magill Primary, with over 800 students, in the 21st century.

That meeting was the first time I had the opportunity to meet Wilma Sullivan, who for 14 years was the principal of the Magill Junior Primary School, and who retired last year, and I want to place on the record my appreciation for her role in that position. She is a very fine educator indeed, and during the year that I have been the member and the two years prior when I was the candidate for Morialta, I am yet to meet anyone who does not hold Wilma in the very highest regard. She is a credit to the profession and I wish her well in the future.

I also indicate that at the beginning of this year, I understand that Sharon Wachtel will be concluding her several years as chairman of the governing council at Magill Primary School. She has been tireless in her advocacy for this project and in the ongoing representation of the parents of Magill Primary School. I indicate my recognition of her strong work there. It will be a tough job to fill her shoes in the year ahead, and I wish good luck to whoever does that.

The proposal provides a site power upgrade with electrical transformer and electrical infrastructure; a new administration and staff facility for the R-7 school, which is now united under the principalship of Di Fletcher; some minor refurbishment of the primary resource centre into general learning areas; minor refurbishment of the existing junior primary resource centre into general learning areas; and minor refurbishment to the junior primary building. There is asbestos removal in several buildings. There will be links that will require earthworks, retaining walls, paving, stormwater, structure and lighting. There will be the provision of multipurpose space and the demolition of high maintenance relocatable buildings.

There will be the development of the oval playing field and irrigation. I remember that, until this project, the initial oval at Magill Primary has been incapable of being used for full facility because there was a dentist's office on the corner of it, so this will be greatly appreciated. The landscaping, signage and additional car parks will be useful.

I have to say that, while I am very grateful to the government for going through with supporting this project, as the school community understood it would when they voted to close the original two schools and merge into one, it highlights a great disparity in the way that other schools are now being treated as a result of last year's budget.

There are 68 schools that are being forced to amalgamate, and the education minister has indicated that schools, such as Stradbroke Primary School and Stradbroke Junior Primary School in my electorate, will have to go through their processes of finding out whether the parent community wishes the schools to merge. We understand from the minister's words that, even if those school communities vote against it, they will be forced to merge. This is a budget savings measure that is in the budget.

The Magill Primary and Junior Primary School communities were willing to do that, and they have been suitably compensated with the building works that are now being undertaken. At Stradbroke Junior Primary School and Stradbroke Primary School, and the other 68 schools that have been offered the opportunity to merge in last year's budget savings measure, we see the compensation for those schools as being something like $400,000 per site. So, the message this government is sending to school communities now is, 'If you don't play ball with us, we will punish you.'

The schools that are now being forced to merge against their will are getting less than 10 per cent of the support they previously received for the infrastructure they might need. It is a terrible signal to send to school communities. It suggests to me that this government really does not care what those school communities think, and that is very disappointing.

However, I want to finish on a positive note. This is excellent news for Magill Primary School, and I look forward to working with the school in future years and thank all those involved in making this project happen.

Motion carried.

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