Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak in support of Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2009-2010 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2009-2010. In just over two years, the Rudd government has already delivered a massive program of reform, but there is more to be done. Through this parliament, we have abolished Work Choices and, in doing so, restored fairness to Australian workplaces and provided greater security and peace of mind to millions of working families, especially to younger workers, working mothers and workers from our culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Through this parliament, we have delivered $47 billion in tax cuts, making all working families better off; we have already delivered nearly 300,000 new computers for schools; we have all but finalised, finally, a single national school curriculum; and we are delivering new trades training centres and language labs in our high schools and new halls and libraries in our primary schools as part of our education revolution.

In the electorate of Moreton alone, total funding through Building the Education Revolution is $77,975,011. I will take you on a bit of a quick walk through some of the things taking place in Moreton. The National School Pride program is supporting 38 schools and 85 projects with total program funding of $6,005,006. It is providing things like classrooms for students with disabilities. We have upgraded communication equipment. We have shade sails, ICT upgrades to classrooms, music rooms and interactive whiteboards. We have resurfaced basketball and tennis courts. We have ICT integration that brings wireless expansion and we have covered walkways, to name just a few.

Then we look at Primary Schools for the 21st Century, with 30 schools and 49 projects and with total program funding of $68,050,005. It is supporting schools such as Christ the King School at Graceville, which has constructed a covered learning area and a library for $2 million. Coopers Plains has done slightly better, getting a new multipurpose hall and resource centre for $2,000,001. Eight Mile Plains has a classroom and resource centre for $2 million again. Graceville State School has $3 million. MacGregor State School has a resource centre and multipurpose hall for $3 million. Moorooka State School has a multipurpose hall and resource centre for $2½ million. Our Lady of Lourdes School in Sunnybank has multipurpose spaces for $1,641,000 and a hall for $1,359,000. Robertson State School has a multipurpose hall and library for $3 million. Runcorn Heights State School has a new multipurpose hall and resource centre for $3 million. Runcorn State School at Sunnybank has a multipurpose hall and resource centre for $3 million. Salisbury State School has a new resource centre and multipurpose hall for $2 million. Sherwood State School has a multipurpose hall and resource centre for $3 million. Southside Christian College has six primary craft rooms for $2 million. St Brendan’s Primary School in Moorooka has $2 million for a library and a hall. St Elizabeth’s School in Tarragindi has multipurpose spaces for $2½ million. St Pius X Catholic School in Salisbury has a new hall, stair and covered areas for $2 million. St Sebastian’s Primary School in Yeronga has a library and classrooms for $2 million. Stretton State College has a new library for $1 million and a multipurpose hall for $2 million. Sunnybank Hills State School has classrooms to the value of $3 million. Sunnybank State School has a new multipurpose hall and new resource centre for $2½ million. Warrigal Road State School at Eight Mile Plains has classrooms and a multipurpose hall for $3 million. Wellers Hill State School has a multipurpose hall and resource centre for $3 million. Yeronga State School has a multipurpose hall and resource centre for $3 million.

If we move on to the science and language centres, three schools received funding of $3,920,000. Milperra State High’s project ‘Equitable access for newly arrived students of immigrant and refugee backgrounds’ is receiving nearly $1½ million; Nyanda State High, down the road from me at Salisbury, is receiving a science and technology centre worth $1.2 million; and Yeronga State High is receiving a language learning centre worth $1.3 million. That is a quick walk through some of the projects that are taking place as part of the education revolution—not just flagpoles but significant building improvements and significant changes to the future for our students and our nation’s future.

We are helping restore the health of the Murray-Darling, we are investing record funds in solar and wind power and we are training more nurses and more GPs. We are cleaning up after the mess that Tony Abbott made when he was the Minister for Health and Ageing, when he ripped a billion dollars out of the health system. We are investing in cancer research. We are delivering the biggest infrastructure program in the nation’s history. We are building new roads, new highways, new railways and new ports. We are building a national broadband network and we are delivering on hospitals and schools, as I walked you through in my electorate of Moreton. But there are 149 other electorates that also have schools that have building sites.

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