A division of the Liberal Party of Australia
LAUNCHING NEW COMPUTER FACILITIES AT LAKES CREEK STATE SCHOOL
03 August, 2007
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Thanks very much Lizzy, and to Ben for being the MCs for today’s opening.
Good morning students. That is the way! Now, who do we have here? Is anyone here from the Preps? Anyone from Grade 1? Wow! Grade 7? Grade 6? 5? Grade 2? 3? And 4? Wow! We have got everybody here! It is really good to be with you all today.
I am here today on behalf of our Prime Minister. Do you know who our Prime Minister is? Just call it out if you know. That’s right! John Howard, and Mr Howard runs our Government and I work with him in the big house called Parliament, and I am here today on behalf of him and Mrs Julie Bishop who is the Minister for Education, to officially launch your new high technology, computerised learning centre.
Also with me today are all these distinguished people who have come along to help celebrate the opening of the new centre with us all. I particularly want to recognise your Principal, Mrs Lea Ryan, and all of her hardworking staff. They do a marvellous job of looking after you and they are always on the go and are very keen to make sure you have the very best education.
I also want to recognise Mr Jeff Packer, who is the President of the Parents and Citizens Association at the school.
We also have some other elected people here. There is Kirsten Livermore, who, like me, goes to Canberra every now and again to help in the Parliament. There is Mr Paul Hoolihan your State Member of Parliament, and Councillor Tony Williams who looks after your interests at a local level as part of the Rockhampton City Council. As well as Mrs Lyn Foley who is the Director for Education in the area, who has a very big interest in your education and school.
We are here because Mr Howard and the Australian Government have given $46,000 towards all those new computers that you are using. That is a lot of money isn’t it? Yes it is!
Do you know that the computers cost a lot more than that and the Parents and Citizens Association helped - all your Mums and Dads helped raise a lot of money for the computers. When you go home tonight, would you go to Mum and Dad and say thanks for helping raise the money for the things at school. I understand that you got a new wall, some new cabling – does everyone know what cabling is? It is the things that connect up the computers. There is also some security, some new furniture and all those new computers, which will allow you to work together as a class and that is a tremendous benefit for your learning.
But make sure that you go and talk to your Mums and Dads, as they helped raise money as part of the Parents and Citizens Association, which is a very important part of the school.
We also want to thank Mr Black, who I understand was your old Principal – do you all remember Mr Black? I bet the Grades 6 and 7 do. We also want to thank Mr Mark Williams, who is the clever man that puts these applications for the money together.
Students, this is a very good school. You know that we looked over at the flag over there when we said the School Pledge together? It looks to me that the flag is getting a bit old – I will give you a new one for the school, so make sure Mrs Ryan reminds me to give it to you before I go.
Over near the flag, what are those things that we can see on the roof over there? Can you all see? What are they? Solar panels! That is right! You know what they do? Yes? They help create electricity- I guess you know why they are there. They are there because they are a better way of creating electricity that does not mess up the country. Have you all heard – perhaps the Grade Sixes and Sevens have heard about climate change? Have you heard that? All the clever people are saying that because we use too much power and we haven’t really cared for our country, the south of our country is going to get drier and the north is going to get wetter and that is called climate change. That happens because some countries have used too much energy, but Australia has not used too much. A lot of what they call ‘green house gases’ go out and it make the world and the climate difficult to operate. It is not Australia’s fault, but we have to play our part in fixing the world. Your school is playing its part in looking after our environment, so congratulations to you at your school. You are doing a fabulous job in learning and in involving yourselves in technology, but you are also helping our environment, helping our whole country and helping the whole world, by doing these things like solar panels and also by using and recycling your water in a better way. Good on you all! You are obviously a very progressive school with very progressive teachers and a very progressive Principal and a very supportive Parents and Citizens Association.
I am sure that you all have a big future here. Work hard and go onto High School and then perhaps you may like to take a Trade in the mines out the back, or in the meatworks, where we need a lot of skilled people, or anywhere around this great area. There are lots of good opportunities. So good on you all for being a marvellous group of people and congratulations and all the best for the future, and with that - Mrs Ryan, I officially declare the new ICT learning centre open.
I would like the School Captains, Lizzy and Ben to come forward, so I can give you a brand new flag, a CD of the National Anthem and a DVD on the National Anthem, and some other information. Thank you for having me.