Morialta Secondary College to open its doors to year 7 students

Delayed by wet weather, a new secondary college will finally welcome its first students next week.

Two politicians who know what it is like to fight for public education funding are Blair Boyer and John Gardner.

Between them, they have ensured a new $88.4m secondary school has been built in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs despite soaring construction costs caused by the pandemic.

Mr Gardner began the Morialta Secondary College project while he was Education Minister in the previous Liberal government as part of its policy to move year 7 into the state’s high schools.

Mr Boyer picked it up – and secured another $4m — when he took over the portfolio after Labor’s emphatic victory in last year’s state election, which saw Mr Gardner and his colleagues sent to the Opposition benches.

Education Minister Blair Boyer (left) and former Liberals education Minister John Gardner (right) with Morialta Secondary College principal Roley Coulter. Picture Dean Martin

The extra funding ensured the new school at Rostrevor kept a gymnasium and classroom when building material costs blew out by 30 per cent at the height of Covid.

The pair’s efforts will be rewarded on Monday when 165 students move into the first of two three-storey buildings to be completed.

Construction was delayed by last year’s prolonged wet weather, forcing their temporary relocation to UniSA’s nearby Magill campus.

Mr Boyer said the project was an example of bipartisan politics providing a good community outcome.

“In the same way the former Liberal government continued the building of Whyalla Secondary College – which was funded by the former Labor government – I have done the same at Morialta Secondary College,” he said.

“This sort of bipartisanship in education is important to ensure we have the best result possible for South Australia, for our kids now and in the future.”

An artist's impression of Morialta Secondary College, designed by architects Thomson Rossi and Brown Falconer. Image: Department for Education

Mr Gardner said when it came to education, the priority of governments “should always be to deliver what our students need so they can be set up to succeed in life”.

“For many years, until recently, expenditure on public education facilities did not keep up with what our students needed,” he said.

“This began to turn around at the end of Labor’s time in office and the program accelerated during the former Liberal government’s term in office.

“During this period we commissioned five new public schools and upgrades to more than one hundred others.”

School zones in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs. Map: Department for Education.

Mr Gardner said from Labor’s investment in STEM upgrades in 2016 until this year, state governments “of both colours” had invested about $1.8bn in upgraded public education facilities.

“This is over and above our responsibilities under the 2018 Gonski agreement,” he said.

“There is always more to do and the challenge for any education minister is always to invest wisely in what is next.”

Mr Gardner said “so long” as Mr Boyer continued to invest “in priority facility upgrades identified by his department, he will have our strong bipartisan support”.

The new Morialta Secondary College under construction at Rostrevor. Picture: Facebook

Principal Roley Coulter said he was looking forward to welcoming students to the new school, built on the site of the former Norwood Morialta High School middle school campus.

“The new students and staff of Morialta Secondary College are really excited about moving into the school next week,” he said.

“The classrooms and learning area facilities are absolutely amazing, and it’s a privilege to be the first people to get to use them.”

Mr Coulter said he and his 32 staff had been working on the new school “for quite some time now”.

“We look forward to welcoming our students and families into our new facilities in the months and years ahead as we build our college community,” he said.

Morialta Secondary College is being built in stages, with another three-storey building for year 8 students due to be completed later this year.