Page 3043 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 17 October 2007
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The school communities of Lake Ginninderra college, Melba high school and Copland college are also benefiting from an extensive external painting program to improve the look and feel of their schools, and these programs and these projects are improving the look of our outdoor environments and are promoting pride in our public schools. To improve the infrastructure of our schools and to ensure that they are of acceptable comfort levels within our classrooms, many schools are also undertaking major upgrades of their heating, ventilation and cooling systems.
The government is committed to encouraging the use of school facilities by the general public outside the school hours and, in line with this commitment, works have been undertaken at Lyneham high school to upgrade the surface of the external playing courts. Continuing with Lyneham, stage 1 of the upgrade of the gymnasium has also commenced.
I am also very pleased to note that work is progressing well at the new schools in Harrison and West Belconnen and that the design phase of the Gungahlin college is under way in earnest. The size of these investments is large. However, the Stanhope government believes it is not just an investment in bricks and mortar; it is an investment in the future of our children and of the Canberra community. This refurbishment program will see every public school benefit from record levels of investment in schools over the next four years and it is, of course, accompanied by the opening of four new schools in Harrison, West Belconnen, Tuggeranong and Gungahlin.
The government is very proud of its record investment in public education and we believe the entire Canberra community will reap the full benefit of these capital works upgrades.
MR SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Porter?
MS PORTER: Minister, you mentioned Melba-Copland secondary college. Would you be able to inform the Assembly what other projects are taking place in the Belconnen area?
MR BARR: I again thank Ms Porter for her continued interest and for accompanying me today to the launch of the new Melba-Copland secondary school. I know that Ms Porter has a very keen interest in quality education and the importance of quality education in her electorate of Ginninderra. Her interest stands in marked contrast to that of another member for Ginninderra, whose only comment on the improvements from the $350 million that the government is investing in public education is to describe them as throwing good money after bad. That is the policy position of the shadow education minister—that $350 million worth of investment in public education is throwing good money after bad. There it is. It stands as a stark comment—
Mr Mulcahy: Mr Speaker, a point of order. I do not believe that the question asked Mr Barr to analyse the opposition policy on education. I would be interested in him answering the question that was asked.
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