Mr SIMPKINS (9:36 AM) —On Friday, 21 August, the newest school in the Cowan electorate will be officially opened. Ashdale Secondary College is a long-awaited and greatly appreciated addition to the education facilities in the district. It is a new school, with a new attitude that truly reflects the character of the surrounding suburbs of Darch, Madeley and Landsdale. By that I mean a drive and a sense of determination to succeed through hard work and innovation. Under the leadership of Carol Strauss, deputy principal Steven Beaton, and student services manager Tony Granich, the school pursues innovative and flexible pathways for learning. The school is very much technology focused, and technology is embedded throughout the school in both physical terms and in the way learning outcomes are delivered. There is a strong and clear focus on high standards and student excellence.

What is clear is that we can expect great things from Ashdale Secondary College. Starting in first term this year but based at Madeley Primary School, year eight students and the college staff have begun well although in somewhat challenging circumstances due to having to operate in a shared primary school environment. These students are drawn from Landsdale, Ashdale and Madeley primary schools. These are new suburbs that have expanded very rapidly over the last 10 years. It was clear to us all that Ashdale Secondary College has been greatly needed to meet the needs of the community, saving students from having to travel to other, more distant, secondary schools. Ashdale Secondary College operates in a discrete area of just those three suburbs of Darch, Madeley and Landsdale. As I said before, those suburbs are new and they have grown rapidly. The families are young and the primary schools are full of students. Ashdale Secondary College covers an area of just those three suburbs and those three primary schools.

Carol Strauss, the principal, is now seeking to have the college recognised as an independent state school under the Barnett government’s recently announced initiative. Independent school status allows principals to have more independence, including in areas such as staff choices, expelling students and tailoring the delivery of education programs, with the sole objective of raising educational standards. I will be supporting the Ashdale Secondary College in their application for independent status and I have great faith that they are exactly the sort of school that will make the most out of the opportunity. Ashdale is a success story for our local area and a success story in progress for the students and young people of Darch, Madeley and Landsdale. It is a team effort that goes beyond just the school and I am informed that the support provided by the district education office, particularly Rose Moroz, has been instrumental in realising the success achieved so far and that which will be achieved in the years ahead. I have had a great deal of contact with the students and the parents of Ashdale Secondary College. From my contacts with them I have formed the view that they have embraced the opportunity that this new school holds out for them. They are motivated to succeed and I am highly confident that we will see that success, not only in future exam results but also in terms of producing fully rounded young adults who are fine members of the community and will achieve great things for Australia.