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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
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Parliamentary Committees

Public Works Committee: John Pirie Secondary School Redevelopment

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:07): I move:

That the 83rd report of the committee for the Fifty-Fourth Parliament, entitled John Pirie Secondary School Redevelopment Project, be noted.

John Pirie Secondary School is located, Mr Speaker, as you well know, in Mary Elie St in Port Pirie in the Port Pirie Regional Council. The secondary school was selected as a pilot school, offering year 7 into high school in 2020. As a consequence, the school now provides for year 7 to year 12. The Department for Education has advised that John Pirie Secondary School delivers specialist programs, including music excellence, which provides a variety of opportunities in the performing arts.

John Pirie Secondary School was allocated funding of $10 million as part of the Department for Education's capital works program. The Department for Education allocated further funding of $5 million for the provision of a new secondary school education class in April 2020. As a result, the total project funding for the redevelopment at John Pirie is now $10.5 million.

Capital works are required at the school to accommodate the expected growth in student enrolment numbers, which includes the transition of year 7 students to high school. There is also additional accommodation on the school site. It requires demolition and existing spaces require refurbishment.

The redevelopment project will be staged and construction is expected to be completed in October 2021. The committee examined evidence in relation to the project and received assurances that the appropriate consultation had been undertaken. The committee is satisfied that the proposal has been subject to the appropriate agency consultation and also meets the criteria for the examination of projects set out in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991.

Based on the evidence presented, and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee recommends to parliament the scope of the proposed public works.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome) (11:09): I would also like to speak on this redevelopment and pay tribute to the 2017 education department capital works program, where it was first mooted. I thank the previous minister, the Hon. Susan Close at that particular stage, and I thank the current minister, the Hon. John Gardner, for allowing this project to continue on through the process. I was not able to attend the Public Works Committee due to COVID-19, but I certainly thank them for putting this through the process.

This school has had a great transformation over the last few years. Some of the buildings to be replaced under this $10.6 million project were transportable buildings that were there when I attended the school, and that is many years ago. That is how long this project has taken and the sorts of buildings the students of Port Pirie have had to contend with over many years. It is good to see that those buildings will now be removed from the site, providing better opportunities for not only the students but also the teachers.

Over many years, the school has had a bad reputation, until the last few years, when Roger Nottage, the current principal, came in from Port Broughton Area School. The transformation of the image of that school has improved dramatically, not only the aesthetics and the image from the outside but also the attitude and confidence of the students and the people who send their young kids to the school.

This school will now be a state-of-the-art teaching facility with a great STEM facility. As part of the redevelopment, they are going to convert the old power station—from a time when the Port Pirie city council had its own power supply before it went to ETSA—to a hall with seating that people from the arts will be able to use. You have to remember that in education everyone wants a different vocation going forward—some people want to go into acting and into the arts, and some want to go into music—and this facility will certainly provide an opportunity for kids who want to go in that direction.

There are many children in our state who may have issues, whether it is a health or behavioural issue or not being able to concentrate or attend mainstream classes. The school has a FLO program, which allows children who have trouble attending school because of their social background or whatever it may be, to be taken aside, put through another program and tutored basically on an individual basis. Those children are now excelling.

I know that for a fact because some parents have come to my office and indicated that their children or grandchildren had issues attending school because of behavioural issues and things like that, and, to the school's credit, they transformed those children to be able to come into the mainstream and gave them opportunities to enter the workforce. I could name five or maybe eight of those children straightaway (but I will not do that) who have gone through this process and been able to get work in the outside world, and I think that is very good.

Education is one of those things that some people take for granted. I did not have the opportunity to go any further than year 10 because of circumstances with my parents and things like that. Certainly, I want our children, no matter where they are, to have the best teaching facilities, the best opportunities and the best teachers in order to give them an opportunity because our world is changing dramatically. It is changing rapidly, and we need to make certain those opportunities are there.

Again, I am very honoured to be the local member and also to have been part of the transformation of this school, working with the education department—with not only the current principal but previous principals—and with the community up there to make certain that the John Pirie Secondary School is renowned for its ability and the students going through the school.

The minister was there for the STEM opening, and we did an experiment (and I am not too sure whether or not minister Gardner was trying to get rid of me) where it looked as though you were blowing flames out of your mouth and we took a photograph of it. It was certainly something I was very hesitant to do, and I asked the minister to go first. He said, 'No, you will go first, just in case there is an issue,' so I was the guinea pig.

We certainly had a good time there, and I am sure the minister would agree with me that the behaviour, the attitude and the appearance of the students and the surrounds of the school were first class. Again, I thank everybody involved—the previous government and this government—for allowing this to go through. I am indebted to the Public Works Committee for finally approving it, and I am looking forward to the future direction of those kids and the success of the students attending the school.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (11:15): It is a pleasure to rise in support of the motion from the Chair of the Public Works Committee, and I certainly agree with the member for Frome entirely that children are the future and probably one of the most important things in the world. It seems like a big statement, but I think it is absolutely true.

I do have a slightly different opinion from his of the John Pirie Secondary School over recent years. He said that it had a bad reputation, which recovered. My impression of the school has actually been very positive. I worked in Port Pirie for three years before joining parliament, and in fact I had the pleasure of visiting the school when I was doing tourism work through the Southern Flinders Ranges and in Port Pirie.

It was absolutely fantastic to be invited by the school to come and talk to one of their year groups—I think it was a year 11 group—when they were investigating career opportunities and that sort of thing, and to talk about tourism, the incredible opportunities that exist in tourism not only for people who might want to work in it but also for the region. That memory came back to me very positively last Thursday when I was in Port Pirie visiting the smelter.

There is a lot of good stuff happening in Port Pirie. It is fantastic that our government has been able to provide $15 million, in the $10 million plus the $5 million, which the Chair of the Public Works Committee mentioned just a while ago. This is a tremendous school that is becoming better and better under a Marshall government.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (11:17): I also rise to speak on the 83rd report of the Public Works Committee regarding the John Pirie Secondary School redevelopment. As a committee, it was certainly one we went through in detail, and it was very enlightening to see the benefits that this redevelopment will have. It is a good use of South Australian taxpayer funds.

The John Pirie Secondary School is located, as the member Frome said, in Port Pirie, and it is in the Port Pirie Regional Council area. Interestingly for the committee, this school was selected as one of the pilot schools that is going to offer year 7 into high school in 2020. Certainly, something that as a committee we are very interested in with many of these school upgrades is how the introduction of year 7 is going to be catered for, and I would say that in this case, and in all the cases we have look at, it is very well.

As a general commentary, it is really exciting that our state will be catching up with the rest of Australia in terms of bringing our year 7s into the secondary forum, allowing them to grow their education, which will have long-term benefits for our state. Year 7 students across the state will be at secondary school from 2022 and, of course, they will graduate from school towards the end of the decade, and that will certainly bear fruit in terms of the output and the productivity of our population.

That is an important initiative of this Marshall Liberal government, and we are here as a committee to see that it is supported so that South Australia can grow as we move into advanced manufacturing and the like. Advanced manufacturing will be very important for us going forward. The member for Frome talked about the STEM facilities that are available, and that is going to be important again for us going forward—to make sure we skill up our students to handle what will be a changing workplace for them when they graduate.

The school itself provides a variety of options, not only STEM but also work in the performing arts. We were interested in that, and I will get onto that going forward in this contribution, and how that is catered for. To provide for this, funding of $10 million was allocated as part of the capital works program from the education departments. Overall, in terms of the school itself, the committee was interested in the 665 enrolments based on February 2020. Going forward, the school is projected to have an enrolment capacity of 800 places by 2022, to be able to cope with not only the introduction of year 7 students but also the natural growth in the area.

In terms of what the redevelopment will look to do, it will construct a single-storey building, which will provide general learning areas, a science laboratory, teacher preparation and undercover outdoor learning areas, which are certainly very important. There will be construction of a single-storey building that will provide general learning areas, service learning areas, teacher preparation, as I said, and also refurbishment and extension to the Powerhouse Theatre, providing a performing arts learning area, rehearsal rooms and storage area.

That is certainly well received. Not all schools have performing arts centres, but they really do help schools that have them. It gives a boost to those students, as others have mentioned previously, who are interested in the arts as a vocation going forward. In this proposal there is also refurbishment of some buildings. Building 26 has been refurbished to accommodate new special options. Classes will provide for teacher preparation, which is very important. Teachers can prepare and at the same time have oversight of the students themselves. It also includes a kitchen, a laundry facility, a sensory room and landscaping.

Also, there was some demolition. As part of this footprint there were some aged buildings—buildings 9 and 10, so quite a few buildings there. Some of the demolished buildings were up to 350 square metres. They have been replaced with a new building of 1,360 square metres. It is a really big footprint that will provide for the students and their learning.

In terms of the key outcomes that this redevelopment will hopefully deliver, it will provide contemporary learning areas that will consider and support a 21stcentury learning pedagogy. As a committee, when we speak with education department staff we talk about the flexibility of these buildings not only in current teaching pedagogies but also, potentially, for what could occur down the track, so that we are not building a building that is great for now but then find, as teaching methodologies change, they are no longer suitable.

The committee has seen previous cases of such projects. In Nuriootpa, there was a building that, at the time, was open space and subsequently had shortcomings and was required to be redesigned. We are very keen on making sure that, where we are spending this money, we get bang for buck in terms of the taxpayer.

As to other outcomes, they are looking to develop creative, flexible learning spaces to enhance student engagement and allow collaborative teaching practices. I must say that in my electorate, with some of the STEM facilities, students really thrive in these new facilities and take great pride in them as well. Previous members talked about buildings that have been demolished in the John Pirie Secondary School, which has been around for many years. We will not say how many, but certainly the students see that, and many students have stepped where they are stepping, but now they will be in buildings that they are the custodians of. It can be a new start for them as well.

In terms of the culture, it is a set-up that has improved markedly in the last two years, and this will further highlight that. I know the students take great pride in it and keep it clean, and I think that goes towards their learning as well. Other outcomes include providing spaces to support the transition of year 7 students to high school. Of course, you still have a big range, so the year 7s, the 12 year olds, are dealing with the 18-year-old year 12s, and of course much bigger units. We still have to be mindful of the middle-school years—that those students have their space to fill with their peers and are not overwhelmed by the bigger bodies who are the seniors of the school.

Another outcome will be replacing aged buildings with new, efficient facilities. In terms of energy efficiency, the committee also likes to look at building designs and whether they will provide for electricity and water usage that is efficient. Also, how does landscaping interact with the school? Is there sufficient shade, not only around the buildings but in the nearby surrounds, so that the students themselves can not only enjoy the new buildings but also spend quality time outdoors with their mates?

I will finish off by touching on the cost. As I mentioned, it is $10.5 million. Of that, $500,000 is for the commissioning by the Department for Education. Most of it, about $8.3 million, is for the actual building itself, with a contingency of $416,000. Finally, fees and project costs are $1.2 million. I should mention that the committee certainly does home in on the project costs and fees, because that is money that could otherwise be spent on the building.

The committee makes sure that there is good management to ensure that the building is well built and the actual project is delivered on time, that they are as tight as possible so that we are not wasting exorbitant amounts of money on consultants but, rather, spending our money on buildings that then have a long-term and sustained impact on our students as we go forward.

In summary, the committee examined evidence in relation to the John Pirie Secondary School redevelopment, and, based upon that evidence, reports to parliament that it recommends that the proposed public works go ahead.

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:27): I wish to acknowledge and thank the member for Frome, the member for Stuart and the member for Morphett. The member for Frome is closely familiar with this project, and we certainly apologise that he was not able to be present during the hearing, coronavirus restrictions preventing him being there. Of course, others were present as well, but we know that he is a strong contributor and a very strong advocate for the project.

The scope of public works in relation to this project has of course been identified by the member for Frome and the member for Morphett. It was very useful and illuminating to hear from the member for Frome of the age of the buildings and his familiarity with the school, and also about the work of Roger Nottage, whose substantial contribution to education in Port Pirie has been felt keenly, as I understand it. We are very grateful for that contribution; we appreciate it very much. As members will know, my own parents were schoolteachers. May I say, too, that we very much appreciated the safe commitment to the science project the member for Frome related to us. It is some time, even in my own case, since I was subject to such risks, but these were safely negotiated by the member for Frome.

I also appreciate the contribution from the member for Stuart, who is equally familiar with the school—so familiar that his work in the district has been of substantial interest to the school community. I know they are very grateful for his willingness to attend at the school and provide guidance to students who would want to make a contribution to or to work in tourism. I am sure they are also appreciative of the member's capacity to provide some guidance, not just in relation to that industry but also in relation to opportunities in the region more generally, a region with which he is very closely familiar. He is also a very substantial advocate for the school and of course for other schools throughout the district.

May I say that I am particularly thankful, too, to the member for Morphett, who is the deputy chair of the Public Works Committee. On his shoulders falls the additional burden of being the engineer present amongst others who depend on his knowledge, skill and experience. In a very self-effacing, humorous and gentle way, he is able to supply us with the knowledge that, at times, we lack. We are all his students as a result and we are particularly grateful for that.

As deputy chair, he also detailed the scope of public works that will be undertaken at this site. That scope of works is quite substantial: the construction of a single-storey building, providing general learning areas; undercover outdoor learning areas; the construction of additional buildings; and, of course, as the member for Frome and the member for Morphett detailed, the refurbishment and extension of the Powerhouse Theatre, which is described rather briefly as 'building 2', but which will ultimately provide a performing arts and learning area, rehearsal rooms, storage spaces and, equally, I understand, member for Frome, an office and amenities, as you well know.

The scope of works also includes the refurbishment of building 26 to accommodate a new special options class, providing teacher preparation areas, a kitchen, laundry facilities, a sensory room, additional amenities and additional secure sensory landscape, and, of course, the demolition of ageing buildings 9, 10, 19, 20, 21 and 23 in the construction of a new staff car park adjacent to the school oval, as the member for Frome knows. When complete, as the member for Morphett mentioned, the enrolment capacity at John Pirie Secondary School will be 800 places by 2022.

As was made plain by the member for Morphett, the Public Works Committee recommends the scope of the proposed public works, and it is also right to say that we benefit greatly as a committee from the analysis, contribution and insight of the member for Davenport. We are particularly well served by his focus on and attention to financial matters and are very grateful for his experience and management skills in that regard.

Motion carried.

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