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

I thank the member for his question. In his electorate of Makin alone we have seen over $108 million invested in improving school facilities. We have got trades training centres, some seven of which are in his electorate, and he will have seen the additional investment and support that this Labor government provides across the country but particularly in South Australia. So I welcome the question.

We do not want to see any young Australian child left behind at school and now the National Plan for School Improvement is being accepted by premiers around Australia. New South Wales has signed, the Australian Capital Territory has signed, the Australian Education Bill has passed the House, and South Australia has also now signed the National Education Reform Agreement. This plan now covers over 60 per cent of students in our schools. It is about delivering reform which makes a difference, improving teacher quality, making sure that the implementation of the Australian curriculum is accessible to all students and empowering school leadership, particularly principals, who know how their schools should be organised and the resources used as well.

This is an important agreement for South Australia because it will see an additional $656 million in base funding and, when you add the certainty of indexation which we are providing, a total injection of over $1 billion—in fact, $1.1 billion—extra into schools in South Australia. That will be especially important in supporting regional and disadvantaged schools. This is about making sure that South Australian schools can move into the top five of school systems in the world as well. It is also about making sure that kids in South Australia reach their full potential. I think that is why the Premier, Jay Weatherill, said:

This will, in the long term, make an extraordinary difference to the future prosperity of South Australia and the wellbeing of its citizens.

I agree with the Premier.

I am asked about obstacles. The fact is that the obstacles to us delivering a fairer funding system with more resources to students around Australia lie with the opposition here in the House of Representatives. It is the member for Sturt, who is the shadow minister, and the Leader of the Opposition who are trying to destroy and frustrate these important education reforms. The fact is now that it is up to the Victorian Premier to stand up for the students in his state and recognise—

See this speech in context