Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues) Share this | Hansard source

The Howard government’s Investing in Our Schools program has been a hugely beneficial program for thousands of schools throughout Australia. The Schools Assistance (Learning Together—Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Amendment Bill 2007 contains measures that will provide an additional $181 million in Australian government funding to meet the immediate needs of school communities throughout the nation. This bill seeks to exceed the government’s original commitment of $1 billion by providing an additional $181 million for a total of $1.181 billion for this program.

To date, the federal government’s Investing in Our Schools program has provided more than $656 million for 15,100 projects in 6,166 state government schools across the country. It has provided $210 million for 2,031 projects in 1,603 non-government schools across the country. Due to the overwhelming popularity and incredible need for capital funding for basic infrastructure in schools throughout Australia, the Howard government has decided to give this additional funding so that more schools can benefit from the program. The success of the Investing in Our Schools program has highlighted the failures and chronic neglect, particularly on the part of state governments, towards school infrastructure.

Essentially, the federal government’s Investing in Our Schools program is a gift to schools in need and is fixing the problems that state Labor governments have ignored. Across Australia, there have been thousands of schools which have desperately sought this funding—funding which, for state government schools, is in fact the responsibility of state governments to provide. In many instances, it has been quite disheartening to see the condition which the state governments have allowed schools to be in throughout this country. During the process, I have seen and heard of many sad examples of neglect in maintaining state government schools.

Investing in Our Schools program funds have not only helped schools to repair basic infrastructure like toilet blocks; they have also refurbished classrooms and installed new computer equipment, upgraded old or dangerous playgrounds, purchased new items such as library books and sporting equipment, and installed air conditioning and shadecloth in schools across the country.

While this federal government program has actually now shamed a number of state governments into increasing their commitment to capital funding for state government schools—and that is a long overdue increase—I have found some aspects of the response by state governments throughout Australia to this extremely positive program disappointing. State Labor governments—and I will particularly identify Western Australia and New South Wales—have chosen to use this program as an opportunity to create their own financial gains by reaping funds from the Investing in Our Schools program, taking funds from schools by means of excessive project management or administration fees. State governments have actually taken fees from these projects that effectively stripped schools of some of their Commonwealth funding, and they are charging them excessive amounts for implementation. This is clearly unacceptable. It is an unfair action on the part of state governments, and I have written to them about it. They are taking money from school projects and that is not in the spirit of the IOS program. I renew my call to state governments who are skimming off excessive project management or administration fees to repay those funds to the schools. If a school receives funding from the Commonwealth for a project, then that is the funding that that school should receive. It should not have amounts skimmed off by the state Labor governments.

The Howard government have funded all Australian schools at record levels since coming to office in 1996. We will provide a record $33 billion in funding for Australian schools over the four years from 2005 to 2008. Funding to Australian schools has increased by almost 160 per cent, from $3.6 billion in 1996 to $9.3 billion in 2006-07. Through increased financial assistance to schools, particularly schools serving the neediest communities, the government are seeking to improve the outcomes for all Australian students.

State governments have primary responsibility for education. The state governments own, operate and are the major source of funds for public schools, while the federal government supplements that funding as a percentage of the state investment. State governments accredit and regulate non-government schools, while the federal government provides the majority of public funding. So the responsibility for government and non-government schools is shared by the state and federal governments.

It has been claimed that there is decreasing Commonwealth funding to state government schools. That is not true. In fact, the opposite is true. The government has provided record levels of funding to state government schools every year since 1996—an increase of over 118 per cent. It is interesting to note that enrolments in government schools have increased by only 1.2 per cent during that time. It is also claimed that non-government schools are supported at the expense of government schools. That is not true; that is not the case. The Howard government believes that it is every parent’s right to choose the best educational outcome for their child, and this government’s funding policies have provided parents with greater choice in schooling than ever before. There has been a 21½ per cent increase in enrolments at non-government schools since 1996. Even so, 67 per cent of students are enrolled in public schools that receive 75 per cent of total public funding. Thirty-three per cent of students are enrolled in non-government schools that receive 25 per cent of total public funding.

The Howard government is already making a significant investment in school buildings and infrastructure under the capital grants program. This program is providing an estimated $1.7 billion over 2005-08 to assist with the building, maintenance and updating of schools throughout Australia. This includes an estimated $1.2 billion in capital grants funding for state and territory government schools and an estimated $480 million for Catholic and independent schools. That does not include the funding in this bill. This bill will provide $11.7 million for capital funding for non-government schools for 2008. This funding is to maintain the existing levels of funding; without this amendment, capital funding for non-government schools for 2008 would decrease.

So, through this bill, the highly successful Investing in Our Schools program will be bolstered by an additional $181 million. Of this funding, an additional $127 million will be made available for state government schools and $54 million will be provided for non-government schools. Almost 90 per cent of state government schools throughout Australia have already received funding through this program.

While the majority of students across the country are already benefiting from projects funded by the program, there remain a number of schools that have not yet applied for funding or that have only received a small amount. The Australian government is targeting these schools for the additional funds, to assist all Australian state government schools to benefit from the Investing in Our Schools program and give all state government schools the opportunity to access the new funding. State government schools which have received no funding or smaller amounts of funding will be able to apply for projects that take their total approved grants from all rounds of the Investing in Our Schools program up to $150,000. That is the average amount that schools have received under the three rounds now completed. For non-government schools, the additional funds are for grants of up to $75,000, again targeting schools that have received little or no funding under the program to date.

This bill takes our commitment over and above our 2004 election commitment of $1 billion; it is now an almost $1.2 billion program. This bill responds to the specific needs of schools and school communities. This government will continue to identify and respond to community aspirations for Australian schools to deliver the highest standards of education possible. The Australian government are committed to supporting a quality school education for all Australian children. The programs and initiatives we are putting in place are helping to create an Australian education system of high national standards, national consistency and quality so that all young people are prepared to meet the future demands of life and work.

This bill reinforces the Howard government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that Australian children are given the best opportunity to have a quality learning experience in the best possible environment. I commend this bill to the House.

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