Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to share with the House my recent visit to St Philomena School at Park Ridge, where I was invited to officially open the school's new science and art building. The new building was the result of a $340,000 investment through the capital grants program. During my visit, I had the opportunity to chat with the school's year 12 students and teachers, who are overjoyed with their new block of classrooms. The old building was no longer conducive to learning or new teaching methods. This new facility gives students a comfortable learning environment and new technology, all under the one roof in a state-of-the-art building. The new classrooms include a science preparation area, a chemical store, two mini laboratories as well as an art room and a design room, plus amenities and an undercover area.

I was very pleased for these students and the whole school community at St Philomena because of the benefits they will gain from these new facilities. Importantly, it was great to see the joy on the faces of the students at the new opportunities that they now see ahead of them. I am very proud of the coalition government's continued investment in school facilities but also the coalition's focus on putting science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the heart of school education. As we go around to schools in our elections, we see more and more of the school curriculum and the school activities focused on those critically important STEM subjects.

These are critical to our nation's future as more students study science and maths subjects. I had some scientists with me in my office yesterday who are visiting Canberra this week to discuss the importance of what they do everyday. I made the comment to them that most of us actually do not hear about the great work that our scientists do in our community. So it is terrific to see the practical outworking of that encouragement to follow science and maths and that we, as a government, can provide the facilitates necessary for our students to develop that love of science and mathematics.

I have no doubt the students at St Philomena School are looking forward to using the new facilitates and will enjoy their learning environment. I would also like to congratulation my colleague the minister for education for his commitment to providing another great investment in one of the many great schools in my electorate of Forde.