School Infrastructure Projects, Mount Gambier

Wednesday May 12, 2021

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (15:12): My question is to the Minister for Education as well. Can the minister inform the house of upgrades to Grant High School and Moorak Primary School?

 

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:12): I thank the member for the question. It was a pleasure to join the member for Mount Gambier visiting the Grant High School when I was in Mount Gambier a little while ago now.

One of the things that I'm sure the member for Port Adelaide would agree with me is that there is nothing quite as enjoyable as seeing outstanding work going on in our schools when they don't know you're coming—and it was, indeed, with the member for Mount Gambier. We had a schedule of visits. We found ourselves with a spare 20 minutes in between two other schools, and we just dropped into Grant High School to see some of the work they were doing.

It has been an important set of communications with the principal of Grant High School, who came into Parliament House with the member for Mount Gambier not so long ago, talking about some of those opportunities. Grant High School has a $7 million project currently underway. It's in construction. It includes a new performing arts space, refurbishment to allow an additional science laboratory, new learning spaces to accommodate the year 7 students, and there is a body of other work that's been going on at school in related works, but those are the main aspects of it. My understanding is that that's on track for completion in August.

What usually happens in those circumstances is that, while the expectation is that it will be ready for next year, it's really exciting that we can get some of these works used by students this year. In relation to Moorak, there is a significant project at Moorak. I don't have the details here right now, but it is one where I know that there has been a significant level of interest from the governing council at Moorak. Particularly, from recollection, it's the early learning facility that needed some extra support, and I'm really optimistic about where that project is going to end up, and I will bring back further information for the member for Mount Gambier.