456. Hon Alison Xamon to the Minister for Education and Training:
I refer to the Department of Education’s processes for the design and construction of additional buildings at existing schools, and I ask:
(a) is there an office within the Department of Education responsible for ensuring that all departmental policies and guidelines are adhered to throughout the process;
(b) are there any standard procedures regarding consultation with the school community when locating and designing a new building for the school;
(c) does the school board have any role or responsibility in ensuring that the school community is engaged and consulted during the design phase of a project;
(d) is there a mechanism to internally review plans and designs of school buildings; and
(e) how can a school community group engage such a mechanism?
Hon Sue Ellery replied:
(a) The Department of Education’s Facilities Program Delivery branch manages capital works projects for the Department in conjunction with the Department of Finance – Building Management and Works (BMW).
(b) A Project Consultation Group (PCG) is established once confirmation of funding for a new project is received by the Department. This group includes officers from the Department of Education, BMW, appointed architects and the school community. The PCG is responsible for dissemination of information and engagement with the wider school community.
(c) The school’s representatives on the PCG have a role in providing information to the wider school community.
(d) The Department has a process to internally review plans and designs in conjunction with the Building Research and Technical Services team from BMW.
(e) As plans and designs are reviewed by the PCG, information is distributed periodically to the wider school community through school representatives.