Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The federal Labor government’s $42 billion nation-building and economic stimulus plan, which we announced in February 2009, was a plan to support local jobs and stimulate local economies. I want to speak about two schools in my electorate, one Anglican and one Catholic, which benefited under Building the Education Revolution. There were 220 projects in Blair, involving 65 local schools and $108 million.

I was pleased to be at West Moreton Anglican College for the induction of the new principal, Geoff McLay who, I have to say, is a loss to the Anglican priesthood—he preached a good sermon that day. He was inducted by Bishop Geoff Smith, the bishop of the southern region and chairman of the Anglican Schools Commission. Also present was Superintendent Paul Lostroh, the college council chairperson. I congratulate the college council. It put up $2.5 million of its own money together with $3 million under the Building the Education Revolution to build what I think is the best multipurpose hall I have ever seen. It is a fantastic facility.

No longer will we go to speech nights at West Moreton Anglican College—commonly known as WestMAC, a P-12 school in my electorate on the west side of Ipswich—only to be rained out. That seems to happen every time we have an event there, but no more will that happen. I was present with Reverend Lizzie Gaitskell, the college chaplain, who undertook the World’s Greatest Shave. I did too, but, while my hair will not grow back, hers will! Olivia MacPherson and David Gavranich, the school captains, were also present with Natasha Holt and Alexander Clark, the chapel captains, when together we opened the new hall.

I was also pleased that, on my invitation, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Kevin Rudd, was present for the opening. He was well received by the locals. The sporting grounds at West Moreton Anglican College were refurbished using $200,000 of the School Pride money and, as I said, $3 million was put towards the construction of a multipurpose hall. About 50 jobs were created as a result of this undertaking and, of course, the school is well supported in recurrent grants from the federal Labor government. Under the digital education revolution—which those opposite, if they had won the last election, would have scrapped—87 computers have also been delivered.

The next day, I was pleased to be present at the opening of the new multipurpose hall at Immaculate Heart Catholic Primary School, to which $2.125 million was given under the Building the Education Revolution program. The school is in the Leichhardt One Mile area of Ipswich. If you listened to those opposite, including the Leader of the Opposition, you would think that this investment in the Leichhardt One Mile was a waste of money. But do not say that to the people who were present at the opening of their new multipurpose hall on that day, because they—the parents, the school community, the staff and students—believe that it was not a waste of money.

It is a wonderful hall which will enable the school to hold cultural events—dancing, drama and singing—and to play netball. I understand that it will also be well patronised by the senior citizens of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, who will play bingo there. Every time I have gone to that school in the past we have had to hold school activities in the church building. While I was present there, I congratulated the school community—particularly Petrea Rawlinson, the school principal, as well as the school captains, Stephanie Elliot and Thomas Picton—and heard the address by Father Peter Casey of St Mary’s Catholic Church, who gave the blessing.

I also thanked the Catholic community of Leichhardt One Mile for the fantastic communitarian spirit they showed during the recent floods in Ipswich. I congratulated Councillor Charlie Pisasale, who happens to be my local councillor in the Ipswich City Council, on the fact that he, along with Merv Neumann, my uncle, ran the evacuation centre at Avon Hall at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. I congratulated the whole community, including past school principals for the work they did: Bailey Pashley, who was principal from 1996 to 2004; Peter McKee, who was principal in 2005; and Brett Horton, who was principal in 2006. Immaculate Heart Catholic Primary School caters to children from prep to year 7. It is a fantastic little Catholic school, and these facilities will and have been well received in the Catholic and Anglican communities in Ipswich. It is a tragedy that those opposite cannot see the benefit of Building the Education Revolution in communities such as mine.