Page 2773 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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Also last year, several major education projects were completed ready for the start of this year. They included the very successful redevelopment of Taylor Primary School. This success is proven by all three preschool sessions there being fully enrolled in 2015. I do not know if Mr Doszpot has been down to Taylor. I have a memory that in one of the adjournment debates he spoke about going to Taylor. If he could go in to Taylor school and not think that that restoration absolutely was money well spent then I do not know who he is talking to.
The teachers, the parents and the community, as one, wanted that school maintained and wanted it to be restored with as much of the original facade as possible, and that has been delivered. I take my hat off to that school community and the principal there, Simon, for the work he has done to hold that school together when they were offline and offsite in Namadgi School and then with the move back into Taylor. And their enrolments are growing. So the local community do not see Taylor as a disadvantaged school, as a run-down school; they see it as a fabulous local community public school.
The government has also invested over $10 million to expand both the Majura and Macgregor primary schools to increase their capacities from 525 to 700 students. The Duffy school has had additional funding of $2.8 million to provide an additional seven classrooms. Older school upgrades at a cost of $4 million were completed at Hughes primary and Yarralumla primary.
This year the government has delivered the $8.6 million trade training centre. This was funded by the previous federal Labor government. The previous Labor government also made provision for and supported an investment in the Belconnen trades skills centre. Whilst the Canberra Liberals here describe our schools as run down, without heating and cooling and with overcrowded classrooms, the federal Liberal government has put an end to the trades training program. This means that program will cease and many students across our government schools here and in other jurisdictions will be worse off.
The significant projects that are currently being constructed, for Mr Doszpot’s information, include the Canberra College Cares facility, a fabulous program that is operating currently at Stirling for pregnant teenagers and teenage mums and dads. This is an investment of $15 million. We also have the Tuggeranong introductory English learning centre at Wanniassa Hills at a cost of $1.8 million. And we have commenced the modernisation of Belconnen high with an investment of $2.5 million.
Over the past few years this government has spent $6.2 million on expansion and upgrades at 13 preschools. Every year the government allocates $20 million for repairs and maintenance, and more for upgrade works at schools. The repairs and maintenance funds are used for a range of works, including planned maintenance, painting, carpeting, asbestos removal, safety issues and replacement of sewer and stormwater pipes. The upgrade funds are used for front entry upgrades, toilet refurbishments, staffroom refurbishment, additional car parking, new lifts, environmental sustainability, security, older school upgrades, landscaping, hearing assistance systems and technology upgrades.
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