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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-07-01 Daily Xml
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Schools with Internet Fibre Technology Program

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:38): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister update the house on the progress of the government's rollout of improved internet for schools, including economic benefits for our community?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:38): I thank the member for MacKillop for this wonderful opportunity to update the house on what I fear—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —may be one of the last times I can update the house—

Mr Szakacs interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Cheltenham!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —on the rollout of this program because it is all but complete. We are very, very, very much a proud government to say that, having announced an $80 million partnership with Telstra in the latter stages of 2018 in the Glenelg Primary School, with the member for Morphett, we have seen the extraordinary rollout of hundreds and hundreds of kilometres of fibre-optic cable, making sure that our schools in South Australia can go from having had the slowest internet speeds on the mainland to the fastest internet speeds in Australia.

Some schools are reporting more than 1,000 times faster than they had before. And that's a critical point, to answer the member for MacKillop's question, when he also ties in the importance of the impact on the economy of this project that the Marshall Liberal government has rolled out. The economy in South Australia is dependent on jobs in the future that will fit in not only with incredible advances in technology that will see developments that we don't even know yet but also with things that we do know.

We do know that defence is going to be an enormous section of our economy. As the Premier outlined today, we are going to have a very good slice of that $270 billion of national infrastructure building for our defence capability. Space and cyber are tremendously important parts of our economy that will rely on our students and our young people having access to the best possible education, supporting them in their opportunities to develop the skills and capacities to live in that high-tech future.

I think it is particularly important for regional economies, such as that which the member serves, because I remember when I was in the electorate of MacKillop with the member, talking with school students about their future, not every single one of them was thinking about Lot Fourteen for their own job and career future. A lot of them were talking about the ways that technology would enhance the opportunities through ag tech and other technologies on the farm to improve the productive capacity of their local economy as well. Those opportunities are no less important, that our schools are wired up to give those students the technological capacity and the understanding to maximise their future career prospects.

The fibre-optic cable is even more than that though. It enables schools to deliver curriculum and it enables professional development opportunities for regional teachers and people in locations. When I was visiting the member for Colton's electorate at Kidman Park Primary School a couple of weeks ago, it really drilled home to me as we were talking to the students who are excited about the prospect of using their high-speed internet to engage with sister schools overseas.

We also spent some time talking to some students in Auburn in the member for Frome's electorate, who had just been connected. They were the 500th school connected, and they were able to talk about different things from a big school like Kidman Park Primary School with hundreds of students, as their experience is very different from the several dozen students at Auburn Primary School. They were able to have a wonderful connection. This is very exciting for our students.

Five hundred and seventeen sites have been connected. We also have more than 100 preschools now connected, and the second wave of the program is going to see enhanced cybersecurity and enhanced back office IT networks, enhancing what those services are delivering. More than 180,000 students, about 23,000 educators and, in the member for MacKillop's area, students at Beachport, Bordertown, Coonalpyn, Frances, Glencoe, Kalangadoo, Keith, Kingston, Lucindale, Meningie, Millicent, Mount Burr, Mundulla, Nangwarry, Naracoorte, Newbury Park, Padthaway, Penola, Rendelsham, Robe and Tintinara have all benefitted from this program.

Businesses and residents in all of those towns and across regional South Australia, from the APY lands to Mount Gambier, are going to also benefit in future as Telstra, now that that infrastructure is in place, will have further solutions for residents and businesses going forward that will massively enhance the productive component of our economy here in South Australia.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Florey, I just want to caution all members. I do ask them respectfully that we do please maintain an appropriate level of decorum for questions and answers. The member for Florey.

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