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

The $80 billion is out of health and education. I should get that right. But still the budget papers from 2014 show an $80 billion cut to health and education and about $30 billion being ripped out of the education system. My home state of Queensland will be more than $6 billion worse off. In my electorate of Moreton, schools will be over $179 million worse off. Each school will be, on average, $3.2 million worse off. These cuts are the equivalent of sacking one in seven teachers and, if reversed, would be enough to employ an extra 179 teachers for the next 10 years in Moreton electorate alone. Imagine what could happen with those extra teachers and educational workers in our schools. In Moreton, we saw about $1,000 per student, per year, in educational support cut, directly affecting over 32,000 students. This is just one electorate. Every student in every school will be worse off from these cuts—government schools, Catholic schools and independent schools. And the students who need the most help will be the ones hardest hit—in schools that are rural and remote, schools with significant numbers of Indigenous Australians, schools with significant numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse students and, obviously, those in the poorest quintile as well.

The Gonski funding model implemented by Labor also included loadings for students with disabilities, and $100 million was put forward by Labor as an interim measure to provide support for children with disabilities in schools as a consistent method of funding was determined. That figure has unfortunately been stripped by the Turnbull-Joyce government. Making sure that students with disabilities are supported is the unfinished business of the Gonski reforms. Schools throughout my electorate are concerned about the reduced funding for children with disabilities, a funding differential that only becomes greater when higher levels of support are required. Students with disabilities need resources to level the learning playing field. They should have every opportunity, like all children, to reach their full potential. I know not every student is going to excel in education, but we can always lift their standards.

Schools in Moreton are doing a remarkable job despite the best efforts of this government to undermine their educational outcomes. Their spirit may be bruised by the disappointment of this reduced funding after that election commitment, but the children's education is not yet broken. The resilience of these hardworking parents and teachers never ceases to surprise and amaze me as I wander around my schools.

The president of the Coopers Plains State School P&C, Katrina Marschke, said that their school 'hosts events every term to assist with family participation.' The program, aptly named the 'Family Connection Program', offers both morning and night events so that they are accessible to all families. I am seeing the results flow in Coopers Plains State School.

For the past 40 years the P&F—the parents and friends group—at St Sebastian's school at Yeronga has hosted an art show. They raised $40,000 to $50,000 at this event and then put it back into wonderful events. The P&F president, Nathan Groenhout, said that last year they raised $50,000 for the school and that money has been spent on things like a softball play area in the playground, bus transport for sporting events and an annual trip to Canberra. I am sure every MP would recognise it is crucial for every student to understand our democracy. They also spent the money on before- and after-school sporting programs and school technology equipment.

Mike Ennis, the hardworking principal of MacGregor State School, praised the exemplary leadership of the former P&C president, Waikay Lau, and Leanne Hill the vice-president. Mr Ennis said that the P&C have a close and respectful relationship with the school and the school council, and they are all about maximising learning opportunities for the student. They have businesses such as out-of-school-hours care, the tuckshop and the uniform shop. The money they generate from things such as the Mayfest is ploughed back into the school. I wish the new president, Ken Howard, well. He has very big shoes to fill, but because he is such a big man I am sure that he has big feet as well. The P&C are blessed with many volunteers. I look forward to catching up with them at Mayfest.

The Wellers Hill State School P&C also have some wonderful projects in train. Their before- and after-school care provides funding for many of these projects, such as the recently completed air conditioning at the school and the swim club. They have also recently received a grant to renovate their school hall.

The P&F at St Elizabeth's—also in my electorate but right on the border with Griffith—has a huge agenda for the year, including their annual fete. The theme this year is 'Celebrating Heroes'. They have had a successful welcome function with 350 families attending. They are soon holding a disco and later in the year a trivia night. They are working on some projects to get some drinking taps for the children and a building program to get some more covered areas.

The Watson Road State School P&C in Acacia Ridge is currently preparing for their AGM. They are focused on gaining a broader community cross-section as part of the executive. There is never great competition for leadership roles in these P&Cs and P&Fs, unfortunately. Some of their initiatives include revitalising the healthy tuckshop, which is all about educating kids about foods, a refit of the facility and restarting their community garden after the very hot summer we have had in Brisbane.

The Oxley State School P&C have also done some amazing work in the past year. They had their community festival in March. They installed some new sun shades, as well as some additional air conditioning in the administration block. This year the P&C will fund some writing workshops for students to complement the school's particular focus on writing and literacy. They are also planning to install a fan in the big school hall. This a very important part of the community, as we saw with the floods in 2011 where it was on the high ground and a lot of people flocked to receive support—not that I am hoping there will be any floods, but that is the reality of climate change, I guess.

The hardworking parents from all of these schools know the importance of education for their children. I would also particularly like to mention two other schools that I have had some contact with: St Brendan's at Moorooka and Yeronga State School. I know they are doing fantastic work.

Of the more than 32,000 school students in my electorate all will suffer because of the Abbott-Turnbull government's, or the Turnbull-Joyce government's, cuts to education. There is a community cost when these cuts are rolled out. The economic cost of failing to lift achievement for all students is significant. The OECD calculated that Australia will forego a GDP boost of 2.8 per cent unless our students graduate high school with the foundational skills required for the global economy by 2030. That is roughly equivalent to $44 billion in today's terms. It is the kind of figure that should make a Prime Minister, who supposedly prides himself on economic leadership, sit up and get out from under the table he is cowering under—curled up in a ball and sucking his thumb—and actually show some economic leadership.

The government's $30 billion school cuts mean that any student who falls behind is less likely to receive the support they desperately need to catch up. The educational impact of this can be carried forward through not only any remaining education but also, potentially, the workforce. Failing to properly invest in education funding lacks foresight. It is not about courage; it actually shows that you are not thinking of the economy.

There has never been a more exciting time to be an Australian if you are not in the school system. Under Prime Minister Turnbull and Minister Birmingham, things are only set to go downhill from here. This educational leadership team is locking in mediocrity, systemic inequality and an uncertain future for our children. Labor has been, and will continue to be, the party of educational reform and investment.

Labor's Your Child, Our Future policy will ensure the full implementation and funding of the Gonski reforms. It will see an additional investment in our education system of $37.3 billion over the decade. A world-leading and visionary education system is required to create our future teachers, lawyers, doctors, engineers and leaders. Labor's Your Child, Our Future is a sound policy, not a political tactic or an election ploy. It has a strong focus on every child's needs, more individual attention for students, better trained teachers, more targeted resources, better equipped classrooms and more support for students with special learning needs. With Labor's policy every Australian child will benefit. Labor's Your Child, Our Future policy is a significant investment in the future of Australia. So, rather than put a $1,000 cut on the head of all 32,000 students in the electorate of Moreton, I ask the Turnbull-Joyce government to reconsider and invest in education— (Time expired)

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