Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to be able to answer this supplementary question from the member for Petrie because she, in her electorate, will find that 9,700 families are expected to benefit from the schoolkids bonus—that is, over 17,000 eligible kids in the member for Petrie's electorate in primary and secondary schools. Queensland will see about 281,000 families who are expected to benefit from this schoolkids bonus. It was opposed by those opposite, including the Manager of Opposition Business, who is coming up to ask a question, I hope on education. In the electorate of Sturt 6,100 families are expected to benefit and 10,700 eligible kids in primary and secondary schools will benefit from the schoolkids bonus that the shadow minister for education actually opposed in this parliament.

It is not only the schoolkids bonus. This government's investment in education has been more substantial than we have witnessed in this federal parliament, almost doubling the spending in comparison to those opposite and providing improved facilities in every school in this country: trades training centres, library upgrades—you name it, we have delivered it to schools in one of the great educational and social dividends that we have witnessed in this parliament. We are proud of the support we are providing to education and to families, including this important schoolkids bonus.

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