Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do not think we were dragged screaming. We have been a very strong advocate for some period of time. Many people and many schools in my area will be talking about this. I do not think we were dragged screaming; I think we were the ones that initiated it and guaranteed it in the forward estimates.

In terms of some of the local infrastructure effected by the stimulus spending, I was certainly proud earlier this year to attend the BER opening of a new multipurpose facility at the Southern Cross Primary School, which was established in 1983. At the opening I had the pleasure of recognising Principal Averil Nunn for her hard work in ensuring the project's success, having worked closely with parents and tradespeople to deliver this important project in Endeavour Hills. I was delighted to open this multipurpose facility and witness firsthand the impact that its construction had on the community and to hear of the many practical functions that the facility will be used for by this school and the broader community. One of the community programs the hall will be used for is the Community Culture Group. So the hall is providing facilities not only for the students but also for the broader community, which was the intention of these projects. The Community Culture Group aims to facilitate the integration of non-English speaking families through dinners, get-togethers and information sessions for up to 50 people. The group was established four years ago and it has grown so much that they now require a bigger space in which to meet. Prior to this group being formed the participants had limited contact in the community. The participants, most of them parents now, have real bonds within their community. The program has also been successful in bridging potential misunderstanding between cultures. It is a real chance for the participants to engage in the community.

Other programs that will be run at the facility include the Mindfulness Meditation Program, financial counselling and classes and parenting help sessions. Principal Averil Nunn has stated:

This project—

the BER project—

has opened the door for the community to strengthen ties and provide role-models to our community, showing that we understand and trust each other.

It is great to see how a new multipurpose facility at this school can have such a positive impact on our local community.

Another facility that I wish to talk about, and one which we certainly initiated, was the trade training centre, particularly the Hallam Valley Trade Training and Skills Hub, which will benefit seven local schools. The federal Labor government has committed $10 million to this project, which is part of Labor's economic plan to provide world-class job-ready training for our young secondary students across the region in traditional and emerging trades. The Hallam Valley Trade Training and Skills Hub is a cross-sectoral trade training centre that aims to provide high-level training in traditional and emerging trades for senior school students at Hallam Senior Secondary College, Fountain Gate Secondary College, Gleneagles Secondary College, Endeavour Hills Secondary College, Hampton Park Secondary College, Narre Warren South P-12 and St Johns Regional College.

The participants in the program will have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of vocational skills training whilst at the same time continue their studies for entry to university or higher education at their local secondary college. We know that our long-term prosperity is dependent on investing in a world-class training and education system and that is why we have made investments in projects like these. The feedback has been extremely positive with respect to this trade training facility and the demand for a facility of its type in this area. We want to give them opportunity. It is one of the great things that our previous Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, said in the famous 2007 election campaign, where he spoke about a trade qualification being the equivalent of a university degree. I think this government has been putting its money where its mouth is with respect to that by providing an opportunity for our young people to go to these sorts of facilities. As I said, a lot of the genesis of the trade training centres came about from seeing the work that people in some of these schools had been doing and responding to their needs to provide those comprehensive facilities.

There is one more thing that I wish to discuss—another BER funded project: the River Gum Performing Arts Centre. During Education Week, which was last week, I had the pleasure of officially opening the River Gum Performing Arts Centre, which is located at the Hampton Park Secondary College.  This was funded through the BER and the National School Pride Program.

The performing arts centre is being constructed on the Hampton Park Secondary College site, and is a shared facility between River Gum Primary School and Hampton Park Secondary College. It is the first facility of its type in Hampton Park, allowing community use for events such as drama school, musicals and other performances. The project overcame some significant hurdles—particularly at the start, because it was not built on the site of the River Gum Primary School; it was actually built at the Hampton Park Secondary College. After extensive negotiations, the project was accepted—it was within the guidelines—much to the delight of the school members and the Hampton Park community and residents.

The principal of River Gum Primary School, Roma McKinnon, basically was thrilled with the opening, because it was the culmination of years of hard work and it is used not only by the students of River Gum Primary School and Hampton Park Secondary College but also by the community. We had Christmas Day performances, graduation ceremonies, and a 'movie with mum' event for Mother's Day this year.

This performing arts centre which had been discussed by many for some number of years came to fruition as a consequence of this federal government funding through the BER program. I was absolutely delighted to launch that facility.

These are just a few examples of the investment that the federal government has made in much-needed social infrastructure in this region—driven by the financial exigencies of the time, driven by the fact that we needed to be putting money into the system. These projects are magnificent projects. They are delivering the community what they want and what they need.

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