Opening of Mackillop Building at St Joseph’s School

The Hon Christopher Pyne MP, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, today officially opened the Mackillop Building at St Joseph’s School in Hectorville.

Students and staff at St Joseph’s School now have full use of the new Mackillop Building which includes six classrooms, a breakout space, decking and covered outdoor areas in addition to the newly refurbished nine junior classrooms. The Australian Government provided $1 million in funding from the Capital Grants Programme.

Minister Pyne attended the opening on behalf of Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training.

‘I was pleased to visit St Joseph’s School and see firsthand the new facilities,’ Minister Pyne said.

‘Students and the whole school community will benefit from using the new facilities.’

“These new learning spaces take into account the latest in education research and will see students learn more effectively,” Minister Pyne said.

The Australian Government is contributing a record $69.5 billion to government, independent and Catholic schools over the budget and forward estimates – this represents a $4.1 billion, or 27.9 per cent, increase between 2014–15 and 2018–19.

As well as delivering increased funding, the Australian Government is focusing on quality and choice for schools.

‘While buildings alone do not make a great school, I hope students and staff will enjoy learning and be inspired by these new facilities,’ Senator Birmingham said.

‘The Australian Government is committed to improving the quality of our schools and equipping students with the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive world,’ Senator Birmingham said.

Senator Birmingham is responsible for the Capital Grants Programme, which provides funding for non-government schools to improve capital infrastructure where they otherwise may not have access to sufficient capital resources.