Mike Elliott: Oak Valley Area School

Extract from Hansard

Legislative Council
5 July 2001

Mike Elliott
Leader Australian Democrats
Member of the Legislative Council

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The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: The Minister for Education and Children's Services has provided the following information:

The government committed $1.24 million in the 1998-99 budget for the construction of a new school at Oak Valley. During 1999 and 2000, an extensive consultative process took place with members of the Oak Valley community which involved visits there by a number of specialists from different agencies to confirm that existing utilities were able to support the operations of the new facility.

Consultation occurred with representatives of the community to ensure that the new school's design was in harmony with the landscape and flexible to accommodate other community uses. Following the conclusion of the consultative process the executive director, Country Schools and Children's Services met with Oak Valley community representatives to provide them with a model of the proposed new school.

The community indicated its acceptance of the school design and the project went to tender. The tender process was completed in July 2000 and a contractor was selected, however, the Oak Valley community then indicated its preference for another contractor to undertake the construction of the new school. The other tender was significantly over the available budget. Close and proper negotiations have continued with the community since August 2000 to determine a mutually acceptable solution to enable the new school to be constructed.

By April 2001 a solution still had not been reached, despite the preferred tender's willingness to still build the new school. On 3 May 2001, the chief executive of the Department of Education, Training and Employment, wrote to the Maralinga Tarutja Administrator seeking a decision so the children's education could benefit.

Subsequently, further meetings in Oak Valley were held where additional information was provided to the community. I am pleased to advise that the Oak Valley community has now indicated acceptance of the original tender and the new school facility should be completed early in the 2002 school year.