Page 1463 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 April 2013
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schools. There are also funds to expand and upgrade the Macgregor Primary School, which is currently underway and due to be completed in August, and a $4 million expansion and upgrade of the Majura Primary School, which is also currently underway and due to be completed in October.
There are also additional funds to expand the Duffy Primary School and a $6.2 million program to expand and upgrade nine preschools in north and south Canberra. There is $2.3 million to install artificial grass surfaces at Calwell primary, Torrens primary, Theodore primary and Weetangera primary. As a result of extreme weather and flooding, we have invested $12 million in a project to rectify Taylor Primary School. This project is providing a best practice example in the removal of asbestos materials. Works are well advanced and are due to be completed by the end of this year.
This is an extensive but by no means exhaustive list of the works that we have completed or started in the last two years. It shows how much this government values delivering high quality infrastructure for our community. However, we are not stopping there. In addition to works recently completed and in progress, the ACT government has planned the following infrastructure facilities and improvements at ACT public schools: a new school, a budget initiative of $44 million for Coombs primary school to service the Molonglo community. Already design work is scheduled for this project. Members will also be aware of the designs for the new Canberra College Cares facility to be integrated with the existing college facilities at the Woden campus of Canberra College.
We have also committed to a $28 million refurbishment of Belconnen High School. This will completely upgrade the existing school to provide a 21st century learning environment that incorporates state-of-the-art ICT systems and equipment, collaborative learning areas and multi-use spaces. Further, we will construct a new centre of excellence in numeracy at the Caroline Chisholm School. This will provide a centre that represents best practice in 21st century learning for students across the Tuggeranong school network.
We have committed $3 million to establish a Tuggeranong introductory English centre at Wanniassa Hills Primary School. There is also our commitment to build an expanded CIT presence in Tuggeranong to bring a greater vocational training presence to my own electorate and, of course, we will continue to fund upgrades to our schools with a further commitment by ACT Labor to inject $70 million into infrastructure upgrades at our public schools over the next four years.
This comprehensive list of upgrades and infrastructure projects clearly demonstrates that this government has a strong commitment to deliver to the community the very best in facilities that we can. I thank Ms Porter for moving this motion and allowing me the opportunity to detail the level of work that this government is undertaking in education facilities.
I would also like to place on record my appreciation of the staff of the Education and Training Directorate for their diligence in delivering these projects to the community and the great work that they do. I know that the community appreciates it. I also show
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