Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

A recent state government department report identified almost $100 million worth of urgent repairs needed in Queensland state schools, and most of that before the middle of next year. Some of the schools do not meet the basic workplace, health and safety regulations. Eighteen schools need at least $500,000 worth of work, and one school needs $1½ million worth of work, to bring them up to scratch. This is a shocking state of affairs and leaves me even more bemused that this Labor government has axed the Investing in Our Schools Program—one of the most popular and successful programs ever implemented by the former, coalition government. It put an extra $1 billion into capital works for schools around Australia, with $700 million of those funds especially set aside for state schools. That was in the first tranche; there were subsequent tranches. Of that original $700 million, $138 million went into state schools in Queensland alone.

I recently attended the opening of an Investing in Our Schools Program project in my electorate, in the small rural primary school of Coalstoun Lakes. The school received $123,000 under the program and used the money to install reverse-cycle air conditioning, build an outdoor learning area and purchase and install playground equipment. These projects had been discussed for many years by the staff and the P&C but had been beyond their capacity financially. But today the students are learning in air-conditioned comfort, playing on equipment which sparks greater learning and physical development and enjoying the new multipurpose learning area, which can be used for classes, recreation, a wet-weather play area and assemblies. It is terribly hard for little schools like Coalstoun Lakes to gather enough funding to carry out major projects like this, and that is why Investing in Our Schools was so popular. On the day of the opening, the P&C President, Sue Sutcliffe, said:

It gives us all pleasure and excitement that a school of this size has the capacity to obtain funding to make it such a great school and learning Centre.

Direct funding for capital projects in government and non-government schools by the former coalition government cut red tape and guaranteed that the recipients received every dollar of what was allocated. It is sad that this government and its education revolution are equivocating. The education revolution does not involve primary schools like Coalstoun Lakes, but even in secondary schools there will be problems. It will now only be for grades 10, 11 and 12. It is not a computer for every child but a computer for every desk, and now it is being watered down even further.

When we come back to Investing in Our Schools, we can see it made a tangible difference, and I commend that program. (Time expired)

See this speech in context