Dr SOUTHCOTT (10:29 PM) —I rise tonight to speak on the subject of schools. Firstly, I congratulate two schools in my electorate which were short-listed for the Australian's best schools of 2002, Unley High School and Brighton Secondary School, both excellent schools which provide a very positive learning environment for students in my electorate.

I want to speak tonight on the issue of Coromandel Valley Primary School. Coromandel Valley Primary School celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, but students are currently learning in transportables which are 25 years old. In July 2001, I was delighted when the then federal minister for education, Dr David Kemp, wrote to me approving the payment of $1.2 million for permanent classrooms at this primary school. I was able to announce the funding at that time, and it was agreed that the South Australian state government would make a contribution so that the school would receive a $2 million upgrade—a very significant upgrade for a primary school in my electorate. It was due to commence in May 2002 and to be completed in 2003. In January this year, the then South Australian state Treasurer, Rob Lucas, committed to maintaining the $2 million allocation for the redevelopment of the school if re-elected.

You can imagine the school's disappointment when, in July 2002, Jeff Walsh, the new chief executive of the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services, wrote to them and announced that, as $17 million over four years had been reallocated to other schools, the proposed project for Coromandel primary school was going to be deferred. After meeting with Glen Phillips, the chairperson of the Coromandel Valley Primary School council, and being made aware of this, I contacted Dr Brendan Nelson and wrote a letter on 26 July with the local state member, the Hon. Iain Evans, asking the minister to use whatever powers he had to ensure that the federal government's $1.2 million was spent on the school that it was given to.

Mr Speaker, you would be aware that there are similar projects at Gawler Primary School and Orroroo Area School in the electorate of Grey which have also been deferred. Dr Nelson has advised me that the Commonwealth will withhold an amount equivalent to these grants until the state undertakes the works they have already received money for. The states may not remove a project from the list of approved Commonwealth funding without Commonwealth approval—and it appears they did this. They also may not divert money without Commonwealth approval—and it appears this has happened. Where is the $1.2 million that was given for the school? In his letter to me, Dr Nelson also says:

I could not agree more.

There are two issues here. Firstly, there is the reallocation of money which was originally given for Coromandel Valley Primary School. Secondly, and more disturbingly, I have now become aware that the state minister, Mrs Trish White, has stated that the state government are committed to completing the project by December 2004, yet the state department's capital works group is unaware of this commitment and has not allocated any funds to complete the project. It is not good enough. I will continue to raise the issue of Coromandel Valley Primary School until the money which has already been given by the Commonwealth government to the state government actually goes to the school that it was given for.