Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about a special needs school in my electorate of Macarthur, Mater Dei School, which received a $335,000 grant to build a sustainable power system for their pool. Mater Dei was originally established as an orphanage by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan order in 1910. Today, Mater Dei is a community-based organisation that provides early intervention, therapy services, education and residential programs for children and young people with an intellectual disability or developmental delay.

For years I have had a close relationship with the school. In 2013, one of my election commitments was to obtain funding for them through the Community Development Grants Program so that they could afford a new solar power system to reduce the school's power bill by up to $40,000 a year. With the close support of the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, the Hon. Jamie Briggs, I am pleased to say that Mater Dei was successful in receiving $335,000 from the Abbott government and has now installed a new solar power system. The heating system has roughly 550 solar panels that cover three roof areas of the school. Mater Dei now has more than enough power to maintain a pool temperature of up to 30 degrees. Not only will it cut electricity costs for the school; it will also reduce the environmental impact of heating their hydrotherapy facility. The installation of this 150 kilowatt photovoltaic system will generate an estimated energy output of 196.5 megawatt hours annually. That will cover a substantial portion of the school's consumption requirements. It will reduce the overall energy costs and give greater independence from the electricity utility. It will offset up to 210 tonnes of CO2 each year.

This project demonstrates the school's commitment to environmentally sound initiatives and will inspire the next generation of Australians to embrace renewable energy technologies. The system's performance can also be monitored and managed from an online portal, which will record the amount of electricity generated and CO2 offsets and provide the school with an opportunity to trade green energy under the Renewable Energy Act. The money that is being saved per annum could pay for an extra teacher for two days per week or even a teacher's assistant for up to four days per week. The new solar panels installed on the roof of Mater Dei are also equivalent to taking 35 cars off the road each year. This is a significant environmental benefit not just to the school but to the wider community as well. A few weeks ago Principal Tony Fitzgerald invited me to the official opening of the school. I had the pleasure of meeting the school chaplain, Sister Jeanie Heininger; the chair of the school's board, John Adam; the school's business manager, Anne Lauder; the school's foundation manager, Simone Wilson; school P&C members Karen Witherspoon and Michelle Campbell; and Ivor, Donner and David, from Solgen Energy, who installed the cutting edge system. It was great to see the children enjoying the facilities and taking advantage of the new heating system. I am incredibly thankful to Jamie Briggs and the Abbott government for supporting this smart infrastructure investment. It is an invaluable asset to the school and it is helping some of the most disadvantaged children in the country.