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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-11-02 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

Public Works Committee: New Adelaide Central Business District School

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (11:01): I move:

That the 553rd report of the committee, entitled New Adelaide Central Business District School, be noted.

This is indeed a very exciting project promoting an inclusive, experiential learning environment of self-responsibility on behalf of students. The new Adelaide central business district school will be situated on Frome Road in Adelaide on the current Reid Building site. It will accommodate 1,250 students as well as teaching, administration and maintenance staff and will have a special focus on STEM subjects.

The proposal for the site is to refurbish the Reid Building and construct a second seven-storey building to its south, providing the required teaching spaces. The two buildings will be connected via a central atrium that will include the entrance, reception and general meeting and lecture area. In addition, the scope of this project also includes:

information and communication technology infrastructure;

a roof terrace over the gymnasium;

200 bicycle parks of which 170 are secure parks in the basement; and

a dedicated drop-off and pick-up area on both sides of Frome Road.

The school will be constructed in stages, with stage 1 including the construction of the new southern building, the interconnecting central atrium and the partial refurbishment of the Reid Building. Stage 2 will complete the refurbishment of the Reid Building following the current tenants vacating the premises. The school is due to open at the commencement of the school year in 2019 for year 8 and year 9 students. Access can be provided upon completion of stage 1 of the project, should it be required.

A review of the Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation central archive revealed that sites of significance have been recorded within or immediately adjacent to the project site. This includes a burial site within 100 metres of the Reid Building. DPTI have confirmed that they have consulted and are continuing to work with a cultural heritage expert who has developed a cultural heritage management plan for the project. In addition, they are also consulting the Kaurna Aboriginal Community and Heritage Association and the Ramindjeri Heritage Association. These discussions will continue throughout the project, and should any remains be found, work will immediately stop and further advice will be sought.

The cost of the project is $100 million (excluding GST), which includes all construction and on-costs as well as new ICT equipment and infrastructure costs. Construction works are due to commence later this year, with completion by October 2018. I would like to thank the Department for Education and Child Development for presenting this important project to the committee. They certainly presented it with a lot of enthusiasm and hope for the future on this site.

I also thank the committee members: the members for Colton, Torrens and Finniss, and the member for Chaffey, as he has now completed his time on our committee. We thank him for his work and diligence in relation to all the projects on which we have had witnesses come to the committee over the last few years that he has been a committee member. We welcome the member for Unley in his place. We also thank Alison Meeks and Ryan Piekarski for their work. Given this, and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public works.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (11:05): Quite obviously and clearly, the opposition members of the committee supported this project, as $100 million for the future of our young people's education cannot be quibbled about. It will be interesting to see this project come to fruition, even though we are probably some three years away from the first stage being completed. It will add significantly to the educational capacity of South Australia and, more particularly, those children and young people who will be attending the school in due course. With those few words, I support the project.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (11:06): I welcome the opportunity to speak briefly on the 553rd report of the Public Works Committee on the new Adelaide central business district school. The new school, due to open at the commencement of the school year in 2019 with its first year 8 and year 9 students, will accommodate the 1,250 students as well as teaching, administration and maintenance staff. The school will have a general high school curriculum and, I am pleased to say, it will also have a special focus on STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—and, in addition, it will include health sciences.

During the committee, we were shown visuals of how the school buildings will present, providing a new kind of innovative and contemporary learning environment that is a first for South Australia. As a former teacher, and having taught and visited many schools in our state in my current and former position, I can say that this is truly a learning environment that will be embraced by the students and teachers, providing them with a wealth of learning and teaching opportunities.

While the suburbs and schools that are likely to be included in the zone for this new high school are yet to be finalised, Bowden, Brompton, Hindmarsh, Hilton, Kurralta Park, Glandore, Black Forest, Nailsworth, Medindie, Medindie Gardens, Gilberton, Walkerville, Collinswood, the eastern part of Torrensville, Mile End, Richmond and Marleston have been named, and it is anticipated that others will be added. An end user working group has been established comprising principal representatives from key schools, the department's principal project director and the government steering committee.

I look forward to the opening of the new Adelaide central business district school. I have spoken to many of its future students and those who are hoping that they will be included as future students, all of whom are excited about the progress of what is setting out to be an outstanding new school facility in Adelaide in a Parklands setting.

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (11:08): I would like to thank both members who have contributed to this debate and acknowledge that they are both members of the Public Works Committee and also the interest the member for Torrens has in this particular project. With that, I commend the report.

Motion carried.

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