Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, it is a bit sad—I appreciate that. The three gallery journalists all without question said that the spending of money on capital in schools was not a major issue for improving educational outcomes. I do not think they could be more profoundly wrong. There is no doubt that the quality of the environment that you send your young people in to learn sends them a message about how their community and their society value the education they are receiving. If you send young people into classrooms that have carpet that is torn, that have paint peeling off the walls and that have problems with leaking into light fittings—all of these things I have seen in my own electorate and I am sure all members have seen in their electorates—there is absolutely no doubt that a young person going into a physical environment like that will take away a message about how we as governments and as a society value the place we are sending them to and therefore value what they are achieving in that place.

It is absolutely true that the quality and commitment of the teaching staff is paramount. It is absolutely true that the curriculum that is delivered in those classrooms is significantly important. But it is no less true that the physical environment we provide for our young people is just as important a component in terms of their educational outcome. And I was particularly disappointed to see that the nature of the debate that is going on, particularly in the media, on this issue undervalues the significance of the message that we are sending in upgrading the facilities.

My colleague the member for Throsby and I attended a school in the member for Throsby’s electorate to make announcements around the Primary Schools for the 21st Century first round of funding. The school we visited is 150 years old. They have fantastic staff, and they have really good outcomes in one of the most difficult suburbs in our region. There is no doubt at all that the teaching staff can take so much credit for what they achieve. That school had not had a significant physical upgrade in as long as anybody could remember.

When we went back after the announcement of the National School Pride program money and the money from the Primary Schools for the 21st Century program there was a buzz in that school and much excitement. They have a band, they have dance classes and they have some martial arts classes where kids learn all those skills. Having an actual place where they can give presentations and performances for their community and their families, instead of being outside waiting for a non-rainy day to do that, was really important to them. I think it is pretty sad if those who provide commentary at the top levels of our media cannot understand or come to grips with how important that is and how important the rollout of that capital expenditure is to all of those schools.

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