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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-12-01 Daily Xml
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School Infrastructure Projects, Schubert Electorate

Mr KNOLL (Schubert) (16:01): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister update the house on works being undertaken by the Marshall Liberal government to support school infrastructure, particularly in my seat of Schubert?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (16:01): I am very pleased to have this question from the member for Schubert and it's a terrific opportunity to share with the house and with the people of South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —some of the outstanding work that the Marshall Liberal government is doing as we build what matters for our communities, and that includes in education and school infrastructure. Of course, the government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader will cease interjecting.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —is undertaking a $1.3 billion program of infrastructure works around our schools. It is the largest infrastructure program in the state's schools' history and it comes on top of the fact that we also have record spending on our schools, in recurrent terms, because education is critical for the future of our state. The infrastructure we are building will support increased enrolments, will support higher quality facilities and will support the outstanding and excellent teaching and learning that is being undertaken by our educators across our school system.

The member for Schubert obviously has a particular interest in his local electorate and I am really pleased to talk about a number of things that are happening in our schools and our preschools in the Schubert area. At Nuriootpa High School, and indeed at Nuriootpa Primary School, there are projects to the value of $4.4 million and $7.5 million to radically upgrade the facilities at those two schools.

Both of those projects are due to be completed in the second half of next year, and I am sure that the member for Schubert can't wait, as indeed I cannot, to go and visit those schools and see that work when it is complete. It was with great pleasure that I remember joining the member for Schubert, I think it was in 2017 or maybe late 2016, to talk to the then principal at Nuriootpa High School about what works needed to take place. That school is very excited. I know that there will be enhancements.

Over the course of the last year, we have undertaken a range of other programs to support not just those schools with major infrastructure upgrades but indeed every school and every preschool in the public system in South Australia. In the member for Schubert's electorate, preschools at Freeling, Lyndoch, Mount Pleasant, Nuriootpa, Tanunda and Williamstown all benefited earlier this year from a stimulus announcement of a $20,000 grant to ensure that each one of them could do a painting or roofing, tiling or nature play project—upgrades that were necessary—and every single preschool in the government system in the state benefited from the same.

And do you know what? I spoke to a lot of those preschool directors who found that when they were working through what they would do now they had this bounty of $20,000, there were more projects, indeed, that they had in mind. So in this budget, a $30,000 grant further on top of that $20,000 grant is being provided to each and every one of those preschools in the member for Schubert's electorate and around South Australia. That's great work for local tradies, great work for local small businesses and great outcomes for those local preschools.

In the schooling system, we had a significant backlog of maintenance and minor works in the education department system, works that have been approved to be done, works that have been approved to be funded by central office, works that have been identified as being of high need, but works for which no funding source had been allocated. The usual minor works budget of $12 million to $15 million in the education department wasn't sufficient, so a $25 million increase on top of that this year enabled works at Freeling, Greenock, Nuriootpa and Williamstown to be undertaken this year to the value of about $400,000.

The member for Schubert's schools will be very pleased that in this budget, announced by the Treasurer earlier in the year, works are supported at every public school in South Australia with grants of between $20,000 and $100,000, depending on local circumstances and what infrastructure is in place.

For the member for Schubert, schools in Angaston, Freeling, Greenock, Keyneton, Light Pass, Lyndoch, Mount Pleasant, Nuriootpa, Roseworthy, Sandy Creek, Springton, Tanunda, Wasleys and Williamstown will all benefit from that, as will any other schools in any other towns I have missed. I don't think I missed any. So it is great news for schools, great news for local communities and, at a time when stimulus has been necessary for jobs, it's great news for local small businesses and tradespeople in the member for Schubert's electorate.

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