Mr LUGG - 1998-11-26
Palmerston is one of Australia’s fastest growing population centres. To cope with the numbers of young families making Palmerston their home, this government has been building a $6.4m preschool and primary school in Bakewell. Can the minister inform the House when the school will be ready for use?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question, because this is some very good news for the people of Palmerston. It is about yet another new school we are building for one of Australia’s fastest growing population regions in Australia. It is a region that is growing quickly because people have voted with their feet to support the policies and the economy supported by this government and we, in return, of course, are showing our support for the people in that particular area.
We are building a 360 place school which will be ready for occupation, on schedule, for the start of the school year in 1999. This school will probably be amongst the biggest schools built for some time, because, in recent times, the schools that we have built have been to the 240 design limit, with the capacity of a stage 2 development to go to 360. However, in this particular case, we have taken the decision to build 360 places with the option for a stage 2 development at a later stage to allow for an extra 120 students.
Already we have had 140 enrolments for that particular school – 140 enrolments for a school that is, at this stage, still rising from the ground at Bakewell. But, if it’s a school that is even half as good as the 3 new schools that were opened this particular year, then it will be an outstanding success. The schools we opened at Durack in Palmerston earlier this year, at Casuarina Street in Katherine, and also at Larapinta, Madam Speaker, in your own electorate in Alice Springs, have been 3 outstanding schools, backed up by the support of this government, and equally backed up by some magnificent efforts by the teachers and staff of those 3 schools. The tradition is there, and I’m sure it’s a tradition that will be continued on by this new school.
In addition, many of these schools come with a preschool, and we have already opened the preschool at Bakewell. That preschool is continuing on at a great rate of knots and, again, has been greatly endorsed by the people of that particular area.
I also place on record my appreciation to the interim school council. We had a core of about 20 parents, mums and dads, who at this stage really don’t even have a commitment to this new school in terms of their children going to that school, but certainly have a commitment to building that school for what it will be and what it will become next year.
I pass on my sincere congratulations and appreciation to the school council, and also to the school principal down there, Mr Chris Baldwin, who’s done an absolute first class job in getting this school to the stage that it is now.
The message to the people of Palmerston is that you will have another first class educational facility in your city as of the start of next year, and you can be proud of the work that this government is doing to further the education of all Territorians.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question, because this is some very good news for the people of Palmerston. It is about yet another new school we are building for one of Australia’s fastest growing population regions in Australia. It is a region that is growing quickly because people have voted with their feet to support the policies and the economy supported by this government and we, in return, of course, are showing our support for the people in that particular area.
We are building a 360 place school which will be ready for occupation, on schedule, for the start of the school year in 1999. This school will probably be amongst the biggest schools built for some time, because, in recent times, the schools that we have built have been to the 240 design limit, with the capacity of a stage 2 development to go to 360. However, in this particular case, we have taken the decision to build 360 places with the option for a stage 2 development at a later stage to allow for an extra 120 students.
Already we have had 140 enrolments for that particular school – 140 enrolments for a school that is, at this stage, still rising from the ground at Bakewell. But, if it’s a school that is even half as good as the 3 new schools that were opened this particular year, then it will be an outstanding success. The schools we opened at Durack in Palmerston earlier this year, at Casuarina Street in Katherine, and also at Larapinta, Madam Speaker, in your own electorate in Alice Springs, have been 3 outstanding schools, backed up by the support of this government, and equally backed up by some magnificent efforts by the teachers and staff of those 3 schools. The tradition is there, and I’m sure it’s a tradition that will be continued on by this new school.
In addition, many of these schools come with a preschool, and we have already opened the preschool at Bakewell. That preschool is continuing on at a great rate of knots and, again, has been greatly endorsed by the people of that particular area.
I also place on record my appreciation to the interim school council. We had a core of about 20 parents, mums and dads, who at this stage really don’t even have a commitment to this new school in terms of their children going to that school, but certainly have a commitment to building that school for what it will be and what it will become next year.
I pass on my sincere congratulations and appreciation to the school council, and also to the school principal down there, Mr Chris Baldwin, who’s done an absolute first class job in getting this school to the stage that it is now.
The message to the people of Palmerston is that you will have another first class educational facility in your city as of the start of next year, and you can be proud of the work that this government is doing to further the education of all Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016