My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education and is in relation to the Moriac Primary School.
By way of background, during 2008 the Labor government entered the Moriac Primary School into what was then the Building Futures program. The proposed works were significant, given that there had been no work on that school for nearly 20 years, apart from the construction of a substantial building that was a result of the federal Labor government’s Building the Education Revolution program.
Prior to the last state election the school community was informed that it was successful and that it should start the tender stage of a $4.23 million school rebuild. Of course the school community was overjoyed at the prospect of having three buildings demolished and a new extended building constructed.
However, after the election the coalition government indicated to the school that the funding would be withdrawn and that the rebuilding plans had been cancelled.
Meanwhile the school was forced to continue using the dilapidated buildings, with no plan of when or assurance that these issues would be resolved. Last year, following the conditions assessment report that every school received, several areas of Moriac Primary School were identified as being in a poor state.
A budget of $288 000 was allocated to fix some areas identified in the report. Those repairs were to the buildings that had been identified for demolition under the Labor government.
The minister would be aware that the repairs were at such a level that the budget was to be managed by the department’s infrastructure division and not by the school.
Earlier in the year the architect had informed the school that the value of the tenders for the work that needed to be done was significantly greater than the allocation of $288 000, so they had been directed to scale back some of the work. That meant that buildings identified as being unsatisfactory would be left in that state.
I am seeking an explanation from the minister on why he believes that money will fix the problems at Moriac Primary School and an explanation for the government’s decision not to go ahead with rebuilding the school.
I also ask for the formula that has been applied to the three buildings, as it clearly does not reflect the specific maintenance needs of each building.