Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads) (18:46): Yesterday the community of Gillieston Heights had the opportunity to view early concept plans for the long‑awaited redevelopment of Gillieston Public School. Parents enthusiastically received brochures outlining the project at the front gate of the school as they were collecting their children at the end of the day. It was great to see mums, dads and kids poring over the outline and images of what their future school will look like. They could see how their dreams for a fit-for-purpose public education facility for their community were becoming a reality. They responded positively to the improved safety aspect of parking, including kiss and ride and designated staff parking. The changes to the pick-up and drop-off areas attracted a lot of comment, and improved traffic movement plans were well received. Ian Thompson, who is the school-parent liaison for the P&C, noted when he saw the impression of the future building and its positioning on the site:

It's really good to see that we were listened to and that changes were made from the original. They have repositioned the building to sit on the natural contour of the land.

He said he was particularly pleased to see the creation of off-street pick-up and drop-off areas, as that has been a safety issue. One parent said, "I'm really excited for a hall." The Government listened to the community about the need for this redevelopment and will continue to listen to the community on its design. It is only the current Minister for Education and Early Learning, and Deputy Premier, having pushed for an inquiry in the other place in the last Parliament that made this school a reality. I am so proud that the Minns Labor Government has released early concept designs of the redevelopment.

We are showing the community the size and features of the upgraded public school, and it is great. In opposition I campaigned hard alongside the community for the school to receive the upgrade. We heard the concerns of parents, carers and community members about the former Government's neglect of the school, even as the community continued to grow tenfold. The full redevelopment will include new classrooms, a new support learning hub, new staff and administration facilities, a new library, a school hall, a new canteen, a new out-of-school-hours-care facility, a new bus stop and kiss-and-drop facilities. It is vital that the planning processes allow the school's design to evolve through consultation with the school community as the project progresses.

I especially thank the Deputy Premier for her genuine engagement with this project and for listening to our community. Excitingly, the public school is also set to receive a new co-located public preschool through the Minns Labor Government's historic $769 million program to build 100 new public preschools across the State. This is the biggest expansion of public preschools in our State's history. Gillieston public preschool will be a distinct space next door to the primary school, with its own entry and secure outdoor area with play equipment. It is part of the Minns Labor Government's $8.9 billion investment to deliver a major pipeline of new schools and major upgrades to New South Wales schools, including in regional New South Wales, after communities in the bush were neglected for so long by the Liberals and The Nationals. Our commitment to regional communities is part of our work to ensure that we are building stronger, better communities, with access to high‑quality learning facilities no matter what postcode people live in.

This is just the beginning for the Minns Labor Government. We are committed to public education. I have been meeting with School Infrastructure NSW and the NSW Teachers Federation on a number of infrastructure issues, including upgrades to Maitland Grossmann High School required as a result of finding asbestos and the need for more facilities for, in particular, cooking classes and IT classes; the need for an upgrade of Thornton Public School, which is located in one of the fastest growing postcodes in the State outside Sydney; the need to plan now for future growth in the Lochinvar, Anambah and Branxton precincts, where thousands of new homes are being built; and the need for student support classes in Maitland, as Hunter River Community School is at capacity and is the only special school between Newcastle and Muswellbrook. We have long waitlists for special classes across our public schools as well.

It is not just infrastructure, though. We have also given New South Wales teachers the largest pay rise in almost three decades We have delivered on our commitment to ban mobile phones in public high schools across New South Wales. After record teacher vacancies over the past decade, we have transitioned 16,000 teachers and support staff from temporary contracts to permanent roles and started the school year with teacher vacancies down by 20 per cent. We have worked to reduce teachers' workloads. As the member for Maitland—which is the fastest growing local government area in the State—I will continue to advocate, hand in hand, with our community, with our mums and dads, with our kids and with our teachers for better education infrastructure and resourcing for our growing community.