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

I am mindful of the fact that we are hearing some commentary from coalition members on the other side of the House, and so I think it is useful for me to provide some context and information in relation to the matters that have been raised by members. I am happy to note the member for Melbourne's comments and to basically provide the assurance to him that the new schooling resource standard model, with the loadings that are identified in this legislation, provides the clearest possible commitment and delivery to students of need in our nation.

The fact is that the Gonski panel findings were an absolute challenge to us as Australians. They were a challenge because our school system was not in a position to deliver the best education to all students enrolled. It was a challenge because the gap between children from less well-off backgrounds and those from better backgrounds is very wide—in fact, it is the widest of equity gaps amongst comparative nations. For Australia, this is a crucial and important challenge, and the model which is identified clearly in these amendments goes to that very matter.

The member for Bradfield made an extremely confusing contribution around preambles and aspirations, and then asked me for my perspective on these matters. I am pretty happy to share my perspective with him, I have to say. The first thing I would share of my perspective is that the coalition, under the opposition leader and the member for Sturt, has shown no appreciable interest in, or commitment to, education reform by way of both investment or policy during the terms of the last two parliaments—and I include this parliament. Previously, we had commitments from them to cut education. They wanted to cut the teacher quality national partnership; they wanted to take $425 million away from it. They wanted to abandon the computers in schools program because that was a total waste of money. The program has been delivered by this government. In fact, this government has delivered more than the numbers originally contemplated. The coalition want to cut the trades training centre program. They want to take money from our neediest schools. We are in the process of delivering reforms like the national curriculum—which I know the member for Aston is aware of, although the opposition leader seems to think it has not been implemented. There is the My School website for greater transparency. There are the professional teaching standards and qualities. There has been nearly a doubling in appropriation investment by this parliament compared to the years when the coalition were in government. We have provided the resources, and they can be seen in schools right around the country and are no more than was provided during the Building the Education Revolution.

I go to many schools, so let me share my perspective of that with the members opposite. I have not been to a single school in this country where a principal or teacher has said to me anything other than, 'We are absolutely grateful for the fact that finally a federal Labor government has decided to invest in the infrastructure of our schools'—such as the covered outdoor learning areas and the improved science laboratories. With every single facility in those primary schools improvement has occurred. How many of you would go to those schools and gainsay that investment now? Very few, I would dare to suggest.

This was one of the most significant public infrastructure investments in education that we have ever seen, in record time, keeping this country from recession. That is what this government did, and at the same time delivering significant reforms, working with stakeholders, establishing an institute of teaching and school leadership, a curriculum and reporting authority whose rigour members opposite know delivers to students in this country the best possible curriculum that they can have. These are the sorts of commitments that this government has made and we have backed them up in the budget. We are willing to do the last and most important piece of work, which is a needs based funding system for students and schools around Australia.

The fact is that no school—no school—will be worse off as a consequence of our investment in A National Plan for School Improvement. Schools will be worse off only if the opposition leader tears up the agreements that we have already reached and seeks to block the agreements that we are currently engaged in and wanting to deliver for the good of students in states and territories right around Australia.

See this speech in context