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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-15 Daily Xml
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NURIOOTPA HIGH SCHOOL

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms THOMPSON: Can the minister inform the house about the benefits to students at Nuriootpa High School as a result of the provision of a new language centre at the school?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (15:00): I would like to thank the member for Reynell for this important question. I was delighted to join staff, students, the principal (Mr Ian Tooley) and community members including the member for Schubert, together with Senator Anne McEwen and the mayor of the Barossa council, Mr Brian Hurn, to celebrate very recently the official opening of the new language centre at Nuriootpa High School.

The centre represents an investment of more than $2 million in this great school in the Barossa. That investment is among many new classrooms, and in general our contribution in that area: gymnasiums, trade training centres and other buildings that support teaching and learning in our school communities.

There is no question that in South Australia the BER program has been very successful and I think it is something that everybody acknowledges, because this program has supported the construction of these very important facilities, as well as supporting thousands of jobs and regional and metropolitan businesses.

In the case of this particular high school, around one in three students at the school is learning a language other than English. More than 100 students across all year levels are studying German, around 100 are learning Indonesian and around 26 year 11 and year 12 students are learning Spanish.

I was most impressed, as I know the member for Schubert was, to see that it includes significant investment in information communications technology.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Why would you bring up her daughter, coward?

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr GOLDSWORTHY: Point of order, the minister referred to the member as a coward. That is completely unparliamentary and I ask that he withdraw and apologise.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Trade, order!

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: And the member for Norwood also, order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Trade, order! We definitely do apologise for the Minister for Trade. Order! The Minister for Education.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: In addition to four classrooms—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker!

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

Mr WILLIAMS: The Minister for Trade, as soon as the minister got to her feet, called one of the members over here 'a grub' after having called the member a coward.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, the house recently gave you the power to ask members who have been disruptive to leave the house. I would suggest that the Minister for Trade has been extremely disruptive today.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I did not hear the term 'grub' and the member who was apparently named 'grub' did not stand to complain about the issue, so we will now finish that or we will finish question time. Minister.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Thank you, Madam Speaker. In addition to four classrooms and a retreat room for language tutorials, there is even a kitchenette for students to get involved in the particular cuisines of Germany, Indonesia and Spain. In fact, the member for Schubert and I were served a great deal of these specialities that particular morning. There is no question that this new language lab absolutely captures the cultural heritage of these languages and, in the case of German, is very important for that local region.

I have to say that I was very pleased to visit the school, where I had an opportunity to meet a number of the other school principals from the area; that was incredibly useful. I have talked at length with the member for Schubert about the particular history of this school. I think there is no doubt that this school is absolutely on the right track.

The principal reported to me that this year, I think, they experienced an increase in enrolments of about 40. I think their NAPLAN results are heading in the right direction. I commend the school leadership, the teachers, the SSOs and, of course, the students.

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