Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Thursday, 7 June I had the great pleasure of visiting a local school community in my electorate—Darling Point Special School—to represent the Hon. Julie Bishop, the Minister for Education, Science and Training, and celebrate with the community the opening of the school’s multisensory room and the installation of new air-conditioning units in classrooms and other key areas of the school. The opening marked the completion of a much anticipated and extremely important project which was funded under the Australian government’s Investing in Our Schools Program. The event was a great success, and I again congratulate each member of the Darling Point Special School community, without whom the project would not have been possible. I also take the opportunity to make special mention of the outstanding efforts of the parents and citizens association, for having worked tirelessly to raise additional funding for the school.

Darling Point Special School’s statement of purpose is to create a positive and supportive environment and to advance and foster student independence. The school also aims to empower students, families and staff to achieve positive outcomes in the community. It is this commitment that makes the school such an asset to the bayside of Brisbane. I commend the dedication of the teachers and parents, who collectively work together to help students achieve their goals. Principal Charmaine Driver is an exceptional woman who, together with her capable staff, works extremely hard to not only meet the needs of students attending the school but also ensure that they lead satisfying and independent lives in the community after leaving school.

I am sure that both teachers and students alike will appreciate the new facilities available in the school’s multisensory room, with the purchase of first-class visual, tactile, auditory and kinaesthetic equipment. This equipment will not only foster students’ sensory awareness but also enhance the quality of their daily learning experience. Furthermore, I know that students will enjoy the new air-conditioning facilities at the school, which will allow both students and staff to learn in a more comfortable environment. I am pleased to see that the Australian government can directly support school communities, such as Darling Point Special School, in this way to help ensure projects like this are successful. The Investing in Our Schools Program is all about school communities working together to let the Australian government know what they need. It gives our schools a voice. Throughout Australia, school communities are taking the opportunity to be heard, with over 8,300 applications being received in the first two funding rounds in 2005 and over 10,000 applications being received in round 3 in 2006. With the recent additional funding announced for the program, the Australian government’s total commitment to the program now amounts to almost $1.2 billion, with $827 million specifically set aside for state government schools.