Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to rise to speak tonight about the education revolution that is happening right across the southern suburbs of Adelaide. During the 2007 election campaign, I was pleased to be a part of the Rudd Labor team committed to an education revolution. Since being elected, the Rudd government has committed to doing just that, to an education revolution. Already we have seen substantial funding that has made a significant investment in our education system.

I want to go over a couple of programs—although there are many—that have delivered in my local area. The first significant investment the government has made is in the digital revolution, the aim of which was to prepare Australian students for further education, training and employment and to equip them with the skills that they need to live, to work and to succeed in an increasingly digital world. This was something that I did not have experience with as a primary school student, and in today’s environment I recognise that I did miss out. So I am very pleased that the digital education revolution is being rolled out in Australian schools. The government has committed to increasing the ratio of students to computers in schools to one to one by 2011 for students in years 9 to 12. The improvement to access to computers ensures that young people growing up in Adelaide South have all the opportunities they need to compete in a 21st century economy.

As part of the first funding round, $440,000 was provided to secondary schools in my seat of Kingston to see over 400 computers delivered to the Hallett Cove R to 12 school, Southern Vales Christian College and the Willunga Waldorf secondary school. These schools were selected as being in special need, having a pre-existing ratio of students to computers in excess of one to eight.

In the second round of funding, which has recently been announced, a further 10 schools in my electorate have gained access to over 1,500 computers. This includes six computers for the Willunga Waldorf School, 16 computers for the Australian technical college, 133 computers for the Tatachilla Lutheran College, 178 computers for the Willunga High School, 99 computers for Cardijn College, 194 computers for Seaford 6 to 12 school, 213 computers for Wirreanda High School, 226 computers for Woodcroft College, 255 computers for Reynella East High School and 239 computers for Christies Beach High School and the Southern Vocational College. These schools have certainly expressed their gratitude to the federal government for delivering what they believe was incredibly essential. They were working hard to provide technology to their students but did find constraints within their budgets. I am very pleased that, with these computers, they are now able to do a lot of the things that they had hoped to do.

On top of this unprecedented investment in digital infrastructure that is so important to our kids’ future, the Rudd government is also supporting innovative programs to increase the wellbeing of our children and prepare them for the future. One such program is the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, which aims to provide pleasurable food education for young children. I was lucky enough to visit one of these schools as part of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing inquiry into obesity in Australia. We were lucky to see one of these programs. These programs provide extensive experience for kids to learn about food, from growing it to cooking it. I am very pleased that the federal government has launched a trial of this program in 37 schools around the country. Two schools in my electorate—Woodend Primary School and O’Sullivan Beach School—have been chosen to be part of this trial. I think it will be a fantastic opportunity for kids in my electorate to be part of this innovative program, which will have a great impact on their learning about health education.

The Rudd government has many other programs, which I do not have time to go into now. We are building the education revolution, we are investing in our trade schools and we are doing a whole range of things, but these are two very important projects that are already on the ground in my electorate of Kingston. (Time expired)