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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-10-29 Daily Xml
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Schools with Internet Fibre Technology Program

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister update the house on the state government's program to roll out internet to schools across the state, including in my electorate of Kavel?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is on two warnings. The minister has the call.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:51): I am very pleased to get this question from the member for Kavel because he, like all members on this side—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —is concerned deeply with the opportunities we have to build South Australia, to build the infrastructure in South Australia, and in our school system internet infrastructure is critically important and has been for many years. It has been an important part of the delivery of the school program and curriculum for many years. But it has been hard in South Australian schools for them to gain the full benefits, the opportunities of the technology and the opportunities for curriculum delivery in South Australia, because unfortunately for far too long our schools here in South Australia have had the slowest internet connections in mainland Australia.

Indeed, from the beginning of this term in government, when Steven Marshall was elected as Premier until June of next year, we are going to go from having the slowest internet speeds on the mainland to the fastest, and that is a very exciting proposition for schools around South Australia.

I know that the member for Kavel, whose parents were both schoolteachers, cares deeply about this because it gets outcomes for our students as we are seeking to set them up for a future where there are opportunities in defence, there are opportunities in space, there are opportunities in cyber and, indeed, in regional electorates in Agtech and a whole range of other opportunities which come through STEM education and which are going to be best delivered when the schools are set up appropriately with the right infrastructure to deliver that.

It is very exciting that this project, since we announced it in December last year, is 51 per cent complete, and we are on the way to completing that for all South Australian schools by June next year, except for those four that have their own specific solutions.

In the member's seat of Kavel, there is some very exciting news at some of his local schools: Mount Barker High School just last week had the connections laid for the internet infrastructure, and Hahndorf Primary School as recently as 24 October. Very soon—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —Mount Barker Primary School and Oakbank Area School—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens, be quiet!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —will be connected on 6 and 5 November respectively. In term 4 also, in week 8, we will see Nairne Primary School and Woodside Primary School connected. Littlehampton and Mount Barker South will also have the opportunity to have this connection before the middle of next year.

Across South Australia schools, are benefiting from this right now, and I know that other members are excited. I know that Frances Primary School, which I visited with the member for MacKillop just last week, was very appreciative of the fact that on Thursday of this week they are being connected. Clarendon Primary, Angaston Primary, Elizabeth East Primary, Mallala Primary, Wandana Primary, Pooraka Primary, Willunga High, Upper Sturt Primary and Elizabeth Park Primary School are all being connected this week, which I know the members for Elizabeth, Narungga, Torrens, Florey, Mawson, Heysen, MacKillop and Schubert are all very excited about, as they should be, because this is a great opportunity for our schools.

We have 134,000 students who are now experiencing in their schools the opportunity to benefit from rapid high-speed internet that can be turned on and off like a tap with that level of reliability—uncontested internet connection. So when one class wants to use internet in the delivery of the curriculum in that class, they can turn on all of their devices with internet connection at once, knowing that the class next door isn't going to experience a drop in the speeds of what they're using.

We have also had 15,600 educators at the schools that have already been connected, and this will roll out to everybody. The benefits for those educators extend beyond just what can be delivered in the classroom and in the curriculum. In remote and regional areas, it can sometimes save days of travel to Port Augusta or to Adelaide to experience some professional development that can be delivered one to one through Skype online. That is an enormous benefit for schools, for teachers and for students. This is something that will benefit all students in South Australia as part of the world-class education that we want them to have.

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