Mr GERARD MARTIN (Bathurst) [12.18 p.m.]: Today I speak about small schools in my electorate. The Bathurst electorate has approximately 40 public schools. They range in size from larger high schools that have more than 1,000 pupils, such as Lithgow High School, to Kelso High School, Bathurst High School and Denison College, with campuses of 800 or 900 students each, to high schools in smaller towns such as Oberon, Blayney and Kandos, which have 500 or 600 students. Then there is a range of one-teacher schools in villages such as Burraga, Lagoon, Newbridge, Glen Alice and Trunkey Creek. One challenge facing these smaller schools is declining student numbers. I am pleased that the Department of Education and Training, through the New South Wales Labor Government, has a policy of not arbitrarily closing schools because student numbers fall below a magical number, whether it be 10 or 12.

Some schools in my electorate have had student enrolments as low as two, and there issues around educational and social interaction with numbers like that. Tomorrow I am visiting Glen Alice Public School in the magnificent Capertee Valley, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary. About four or five years ago Glen Alice school had only two students. However, with a bit of hard work by the Department of Education and Training officials and the local parents and citizens, and with people moving into the valley, the enrolment number is now in the high teens. That demonstrates that it is worth keeping these schools open for a bit longer if there is a prospect of enrolment numbers picking up, because these schools are important to their communities.

There is no question that in places such as Glen Alice the school is the centre point not only for education but also for a range of social, cultural and recreational activities. Glen Alice is located on the edge of a wilderness and national park area. The school specialises in environmental programs, and a range of organisations, including universities, use the school as a base from which to go out and conduct various studies relating to native flora and fauna.

Lagoon Public School has been suspended, not closed, as it has only one student enrolled for next year. It is a fairly expensive option to run a school with one student and one teacher, and the student would have no chance of integration with other pupils to develop social skills. Lagoon Public School, which is only 20 minutes out of Bathurst, will be suspended until numbers pick up in the future. If the Turnbull clan of trotting fame start to breed in the next generation the school will have a good future because that family has been significant in the area. Last year Lagoon Public School also celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Newbridge Public School, between Bathurst and Blayney, has experienced a dramatic drop in numbers in recent years, and there are a number of reasons for this decline in enrolments. Kirkconnell Public School, a very small school between Lithgow and Bathurst, closed a couple of years ago and is only four or five kilometres from Meadow Flat Public School. Most of the parents in that area are working in Bathurst and choose to drive to Bathurst and take their children to larger schools. This involves the argument of whether one receives a better education in a bigger or smaller school, and as long as we have education that argument will rage.

That is what is happening in some of these smaller areas, such as Burraga, which is 70 kilometres south of Bathurst—basically on the road to nowhere. It is off the main road. To get to Burraga one deviates on the road back to Oberon. It is a remote area. The kindergarten children from Burraga travel from seven o'clock in the morning and arrive home after five o'clock in the afternoon. That is a pretty long day for little kids. A couple of years ago the school was suspended because only two or three students were enrolled. However, the Mayor of Oberon, Keith Sullivan, worked very hard with Department of Education and Training officials. As a result, two years later the school has reopened and is playing an important role in that remote community. The school's recreational facilities are vital. Indeed, the parents and citizens association is the social hub of the community and organises a range of activities.

I will continue to stress to the Minister for Education and Training and officials not to slip into an arbitrary policy of closing a school if enrolment numbers fall to 10 students. One must take into account changing circumstances. Since the drought things have been picking up and families are moving back to some of these communities. The mere fact that one family moves back into a community can make a school viable. That thought will be with me tomorrow when I celebrate Glen Alice Public School's 125th anniversary with the school community. They are a great example that if one is patient things will come good again.

Mr BARRY COLLIER (Miranda—Parliamentary Secretary) [12.23 p.m.]: I thank the member for Bathurst for drawing the attention of the House to issues that affect small schools, particularly throughout regional and remote areas of the State. There are 40 public schools in his electorate, with enrolments ranging from 1,000 down to one. As a former high school teacher I have nothing but admiration for teachers who work in schools on their own. They achieve marvellous results for their students. They are committed and dedicated, and that shows in the results.

I congratulate the Glen Alice Public School on its 125th anniversary. I congratulate also the parents and citizens association and the community, which have supported the school. It is interesting that the member talked about fluctuating populations. Even in my electorate, where there are large high schools with 1,200 pupils, the numbers at one school, Como Public School, declined fairly rapidly a few years ago. That school now is a reasonable size because the community, the local member and the education department all supported it.

As the member for Bathurst rightly stated, situations do change and it is important that education authorities take into account the fluctuating fortunes of a community and the fact that populations come and go, perhaps with the discovery of mineral deposits or the establishment of a new industry. Hundreds of these little schools throughout the State are part of our heritage. They are schools that supported our pioneers in the previous centuries. It is important we preserve that heritage and understand the commitment these schools have to their community. Schools are a focal point of the community; indeed, these schools can be described as family schools. As the member for Bathurst said, it is important that we do not make arbitrary decisions but allow for changing circumstances that may benefit these schools.