Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, I had the privilege of visiting the St Jakobi Lutheran School in Lyndoch, South Australia. It was wonderful to join the students, teachers and their broader community and see the new facilities that have been funded, under the Capital Grants Program, by the Australian government. A grant of $274,000 was provided to help the school, as part of its significant capital works program, to bring the school up to a standard to support that community.

These new facilities are going to make a real difference to the school, the teachers and the students, providing an environment where the teachers can nurture those children and their ambitions. When I was talking to the students out there, they were obviously deeply excited about the new build, the ability to see into the vineyards from the classroom, and the fact that their multipurpose classrooms now have doors that open up onto a deck, so they can actually work in small groups out on the decking. It really enhances their learning and their ability to engage with the environment around them.

These facilities, and facilities just like them, are being opened all around the country as part of the Australian government's Capital Grants Program. It enables schools to find that extra money to enhance the learning and facilities that they offer for their students. But, at the end of the day, it's not the building that delivers these things; the building is just an enabler. It's those people who work across our education system and nurture our children. We want every child, no matter where they live, to have the best schooling possible.