Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I hear an interjection from the member for Brisbane. If he had been paying careful attention to what I said he would have heard very clearly that, as a Liberal member of this government, I strongly condemned both sides of politics in the state arena—both coalition and Labor. Of course, we know that since 1989, the Queensland government has been of the same political flavour as the opposition, and the Labor Party claims the Queensland government is doing great things for Queensland. Of course, Queenslanders, I am sure, will put that one to rest at the next election. If the member for Brisbane would just focus on some ideas and some innovative policies, he might not be sitting in misery in the opposition after the next election. I strongly suggest that he mind his own business and focus on his electorate. He only just got over the line at the last election. If he actually invested some of his time in the local community, he might not be sitting on just a two per cent margin. He might focus on his constituency in his own electorate. He might worry about his own policies and have some respect. As a nearly 25-year resident of my electorate, I am not in the business of swapping and changing positions like the members of the other side. I would rather have a 12 to 13 per cent margin any day than the two per cent margin that the member for Brisbane has, which is a very poor reflection on his local representation.

This bill is about education, our young people and investing in our schools. That is what this government, led by the Prime Minister, has done in the last decade, which is why, I hasten to remind the Labor member for Brisbane, we will be celebrating a decade in office tomorrow. I know that you remain in misery over there. No doubt at some point you will follow your colleague the member for Maribyrnong and retire gracefully, one hopes.

In the electorate of Ryan, a number of very worthy schools have also been recipients of capital grants funding. The Brookfield State School has been a tremendous recipient of this important funding. There are also two schools at The Gap that have qualified. Hilder Road State School, as I mentioned earlier, and St Peter Chanel Catholic School at The Gap have done very well from strong local representation and the funding that the Howard government has been able to provide for them.

In the centenary suburbs, the Good News Lutheran Primary School was also a beneficiary of this program. I have had the great pleasure of visiting that school frequently. It is a wonderful school. I have been very happy to support applications by schools in the Ryan electorate for funding. I know how important it is. I know how the P&Cs value these funding initiatives and how much hard work they put into the schools and the education environment that their children are part of. They certainly know the value of this funding and the enormous potential it represents for their children.

The Good News Lutheran Primary School, a non-government school, received $120,000 of capital works funding, which is a tremendous acknowledgment of what they are all about. This funding will pay for much needed facilities at the school. It will provide for a covered lunch area, walkways and, importantly, disabled access ramps. These are basic needs, but they are very important to the functioning of the school. Our children deserve all the support and safety that these investments can bring about. I pay tribute to the principal of the Good News Lutheran Primary School, Mr Loyd Fyffe. I am sure he is very pleased with the government’s support for his school and I congratulate him for his stewardship and leadership of that school.

This bill also ensures that all non-government schools catering primarily for students with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties who are at risk of leaving mainstream schooling will receive maximum general recurrent grant funding from the government. This is an important initiative. Children do not have a choice about the environment they are brought up in, which can often lead to problems. These children are vulnerable and we need to support them as much as we can. It is the children who are experiencing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties who probably are most at risk of falling through the cracks and we need to fill those cracks as quickly as possible. This bill does that very effectively.

I want to talk about tutorial vouchers as well because they are an important aspect of this bill. The innovative pilot program, the Tutorial Voucher Initiative, which was undertaken in 2005 has been a great success. Children falling below the year 3 national reading benchmark in 2003 were able to access this voucher for tutorial support worth up to $700. During the pilot, the state government of Queensland did not contact eligible parents to make them aware of the availability of this program. I think that is an absolutely appalling dereliction of its duty and responsibility. How can a state government and a state education minister fail to contact eligible parents to make them aware of the availability of this voucher? The Beattie government should hang its head in shame not only over its current inept management of the health system in Queensland but also over another reflection of its incompetence and maladministration. It has let down vulnerable children and their parents, allowing them to miss out on this invaluable reading assistance, which we all know could really have made a difference in the lives of young kids. Unspent funding from the pilot program will now be made available in 2006 to provide literacy assistance for students who most need extra support. Children from Queensland who were unable to participate in this pilot program will now be able to benefit from its success.

We all know that schools fall within the ambit of state governments in our constitutional structure. The states in this country are rolling in the GST. Queensland, my home state, is awash in GST revenue. I keep saying this in the parliament and I will say it again, if there are any Queenslanders listening and certainly if there are any residents of Ryan listening. Queensland is the recipient of some $7.7 billion in GST revenue. This is a source of growth funding; it is rivers of gold for the states. In question time a couple of weeks ago, the Treasurer echoed the words of the new Western Australian Premier that when the GST was brought in it was in the national interest. We know that the Queensland Premier was the first to sign on the dotted line, despite all the rhetoric and hypocrisy in condemning the GST and national taxation reform. Queensland is receiving enormous benefits from the GST, yet it does not spend it on hospitals, schools and roads. Why is the state not spending it on Moggill Road? This is a state road. Why is it not spending it on the Ironside State School? Why is this GST revenue not being allocated for the pool change rooms in Ironside State School? It is absolutely incredible.

I draw to the attention of the residents of St Lucia, Taringa and Toowong—those of you who have kids at Ironside State School—that the GST brings in revenue for the state government and it has every single dollar. Not a dollar comes to the Commonwealth. It is the responsibility of the state governments to invest that money in vital services such as health, roads and schools. I call upon the Queensland state Labor government and the Premier of Queensland to refocus. If he does, he just might get a bit of respect once again from the community which placed their faith in him. I am sure that would be something that would be very difficult for him to turn around.

During the last federal election the state governments were happy to pretend that education was not their issue, that it was a federal issue, and that it was not their responsibility. I can remember going to schools such as Toowong State School and seeing Education Union signs and placards all over the place. The reality is that we know that investment in schools is the responsibility of the state governments. Unfortunately, because they have abdicated that responsibility, we have been forced to come to their aid as much as we can. That is why the Howard Commonwealth government will not be shirking our responsibility. We will not be abdicating our commitment and responsibility to our young people. We are going to invest in education and the young people of Australia. We want to give them a very strong and secure future to give them all the opportunities of an education of high quality and excellence that we will deliver to them in the future.

All this talk about inequitable redistribution of funds that the Deputy Leader of the Labor Party referred to, the idea of coalition electorates benefiting more, is absolute nonsense. We have more members, we have more seats, on this side of the chamber, so we will be getting more of an allocation where it is needed. It is simple mathematics that we will be the beneficiaries of more funding. I encourage the federal Labor opposition to try to refocus and to take heed of the words in the great article in the Australian newspaper today by one of their frontbenchers that if they redirect their energies and focus on the Australian people they might receive some accolades for telling the story that the people of Australia want to hear. That story is about them. It is about their children’s future, their hospitals, their roads and their schools. Get away from the idea that being in this parliament is all about yourselves. I strongly commend the bill to the House. (Time expired)

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