In reply to Mrs PENFOLD (22 July 2004).

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: The Department of Administrative and Information Services (DAIS) cancelled the March 2004 tender call on 4 June 2004 and existing consultant contracts were not extended into the next phase. The cancelled tender process met all tendering rules and the decision to not accept any tender was in accordance with the Conditions of Tender.
DAIS has since undertaken another procurement system to achieve the required scope, budget and timeline for the project.
Government procurement requirements have been met and the Member for Flinders will be advised of the successful tenderer once the selection process is complete.

SCHOOLS, CEDUNA AREA - Questions on notice - responded 4/4/05

Mrs PENFOLD:
1. Who was the successful tenderer for the redevelopment of Ceduna Area School, did the tender comply with Government guidelines, were local businesses invited to tender and was the successful tenderer the only one considered?

2. Why were the plans for stage one of this redevelopment not forthcoming to the school council and the community prior to them being asked to make decisions and what action will take place to prevent this recurring in future stages?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH:
     1. The Department of Administrative and Information Services (DAIS) cancelled the March 2004 tender call on 4 June 2004 and existing consultant contracts were not extended into the next phase. The cancelled tender process met all tendering rules and the decision to not accept any tender was in accordance with the Conditions of Tender.
     DAIS has since undertaken another procurement system to achieve the required scope, budget and timeline for the project.
     Government procurement requirements have been met and the successful provider for these works is Chapman Building Industries.
     No Ceduna building contractors have DAIS pre-qualifications or have suitable building systems able to undertake the civil services work required for this project.

     2. The Stage 1 design (Reception to Year five facility), which went to tender in March 2004, was discussed and negotiated with school and community representatives. This included presentations by the consultant team at the Ceduna Area School to staff and the school council.
     When this tender was cancelled and the modular option developed the contractor made adjustments to suit their modular construction method. The modular design retained all spaces previously identified but due to the modular nature of construction (and issues associated with transportation to site) the shape of the spaces was changed. The number of spaces and their proposed function has not altered.
     The school principal and assistant principal were shown the Stage 1 plans on their visit to the contractors building yard on 14 July 2004. A complete set of plans was forwarded to the school on 14 September 2004, the same week that DECS officers received these plans.
     Following the visit to the contractor’s premises, advice was received by DECS that concrete floors in the new facility were required by the school. As a result of this requirement significant additional design works had to be undertaken, costings sought and program adjustments made.

Consultation with the school community regarding future stages has already commenced.

SCHOOLS, CEDUNA AREA
22July 2004

Mrs PENFOLD (Flinders): Can the Minister for Education and Children's Services advise the house who has been selected as the successful tenderer for the redevelopment of the Ceduna Area School; did the tender comply with the government guidelines; or was the successful tenderer the only one considered?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Minister for Education and Children's Services): Can I commend the member for Flinders for her interest in public education. Such an interest is not always shown by opposition spokesperson. The matter that she raises is one that I imagine would have been properly carried through by the normal tender processes; but I am very happy to get that information back to her.

SCHOOLS, CEDUNA AREA
20 July 2004

In reply to Mrs PENFOLD (29 March 2004).

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX‑SMITH: It is proposed to deliver the R‑5 facility in time for the commencement of the 2005 school year.
Sixteen DEMAC classroom spaces will be removed from the school site once the new buildings are completed. The DEMAC buildings contain asbestos, but I am advised that they have been maintained in good condition to guard against any potential risk to health or the environment.

SCHOOLS, CEDUNA AREA
29 March 2004

Mrs PENFOLD (Flinders): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister advise when the asbestos-contaminated temporary Demac classrooms, placed in the Ceduna Area School in 1978 by the then Labor government, will be removed?
Five million dollars was budgeted, and planning finished, by state and federal Liberal governments to complete stage one of a new school for Ceduna—$1 million of this was from the federal government. This Labor government reduced the funding to $3.9 million, including the federal component. When I was in Ceduna recently there was no evidence that the building had even yet begun and I was told that the cost of the tender had now blown out, and further reductions to the already reduced building project are being suggested. It is now 26 years since these asbestos rooms were put there temporarily by the Labor government.

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Minister for Education and Children's Services): I thank the member for Flinders for her question. I do not know the details that she alludes to or even the veracity of the facts that she has used to explain the question, but I am very happy to look into the matter and report back to her.

CEDUNA AREA SCHOOL
25 September 2003

Ceduna Area School 25 September 2003
Mrs PENFOLD (Flinders): I bring to the attention of the house a situation that displays this government's denial of education equality for those not living in Labor electorates, its contempt for social justice, its arrogant disregard for our indigenous people and its neglect of isolated communities. I refer to the provision of a community library at Ceduna. The first stage of the redevelopment of Ceduna Area School included a public library resource centre to be used by the school, Ceduna campus of TAFE, the indigenous community, Crossways Lutheran School (which has a large number of indigenous students), Koonibba Aboriginal School, Yalata School, and the general community.

The Minister for Education (Hon. Trish White) cut the $5 million funding allocated by the Liberal government to $3.9 million, delayed the start, and now demands that the District Council of Ceduna contributes $180 000 for this library resource centre. A shortage of funds is not the reason for the government's cut to the funding budgeted for by the Liberal government. Burton Primary School, which just happens to be in the minister's electorate, I understand has been allocated $1.5 million in the same period. I have been reliably informed that the funding for Burton Primary School includes a library. Here is a city school that has access to a newly redeveloped State Library and all the community facilities that it could possibly require within a few kilometres being even further advantaged.

The funding allocated by the Liberal government to the Ceduna school redevelopment included the school community library resource centre. The Labor government claims education is a high priority, yet one of its first acts was to cut the funding for and also delay the start of the redevelopment. I was in Ceduna on the weekend and visited the school and there is no evidence that the project has physically started, even now. That is the way in which the Labor government shows its commitment to education.

Ceduna is an isolated community with a small population base. It is the regional centre for the inland indigenous communities as far away as Oak Valley and to the Western Australian border. It is therefore of no surprise that almost one in four people in Ceduna district council is indigenous. Outside the council area, which is also serviced by the school, there is an even higher ratio of indigenous people. The disadvantage that these people face is enormous and has been the subject of numerous articles and speeches. Planning for the redevelopment of the area school included a library resource centre that would benefit one of the most disadvantaged groups in our society.

The Labor government has given no consideration to the individuals who are expending massive amounts of time, energy and what funding they can afford to improve their situation and prospects for employment. The indigenous people of this part of the state have been treated with arrogant contempt. The depth of the contempt is shown by the fact that Koonibba Aboriginal School uses the Ceduna Area School library. Koonibba has a small library (in a shed) but its main library source is Ceduna. The Ceduna TAFE campus uses the Port Lincoln TAFE campus library some 440 kilometres away. Try to imagine TAFE students in metropolitan Adelaide sourcing all their library needs from Melbourne!

The state government's request for $180 000 from the Ceduna District Council is more than one-tenth of the council's rate revenue. The council already pays approximately $20 000 toward staff salaries and other expenses at the current library. Ceduna council has huge costs, estimated to be 23 per cent of its budget, that are not borne by city and metropolitan councils. These include the maintenance and operation of the airport; maintenance of the water scheme west of Ceduna; maintenance of the youth centre; maintenance of the three jetties, whereas the cost of metropolitan jetties is picked up by the state government; and many other services such as housing for doctors.

Mayor Ken McCarthy lays the blame at the feet of the state government. In this respect, I quote from a precis of a radio interview of 21 August, as follows:

We have an indigenous population of something like 23%; it is the largest figure in South Australia and nearly one of the largest in Australia. So, we've got people with very special needs and yet we can't have a first class library. It's just not right and it is not fair.

Today's local paper, the Sentinel, advises that the school's governing council is considering the option of building a school library only, which would be a disaster for this small community. I ask that the minister reinstate the $1 million needed to complete the Ceduna school as planned.

Time expired.

CEDUNA AREA SCHOOL
28 May 2003

Ceduna Area School 28 May 2003
Mrs PENFOLD (Flinders): Will the Minister for Education and Children's Services advise the house whether she has sought to reinstate the government funding that was cut from stage 1 of the redevelopment of the Ceduna Area School? The minister recently visited Ceduna Area School and was informed of the many occupational health and safety problems: deteriorating ceilings, leaking roofs, lack of ventilation and asbestos contamination at the school. The last Liberal budget allocated $5 million ($4 million of state funds and $1 million of federal funds) to build stage 1 of the new Ceduna Area School.

This stage included classrooms, administrative facilities and a school community library. Ceduna is an isolated community providing services for many disadvantaged indigenous students and their families, and a library is integral. In the previous Labor budget, $1.1 million was cut from stage 1 of the project and Ceduna council is now being asked to contribute the $180 000 funding shortfall for the provision of the community library. Over the past nine years the council has already stretched its contribution to include $163 641 for the library operation, and a further—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Attorney-General has a point of order.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: My point of order is that the member for Flinders is indulging in comment rather than the recitation of facts in explaining the question.

The SPEAKER: No, I do not uphold the point of order. I think that the amount of factual information is probably peripheral to the focus of the question, but at no point did I hear the member for Flinders express an opinion or engage in debate on the matter. The Minister for Education and Children's Services.

Hon. P.L. WHITE (Minister for Education and Children's Services): The honourable member gave the answer herself. The major works funding for Ceduna Area School was published in last year's budget and nothing has changed.

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E-mail address: flinders.portlincoln@parliament.sa.gov.au