Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the Australian Education Amendment Bill 2017, a bill which supports all Australian schools. Those opposite have much to say about this bill and will pretend to be big on education. But, as in all things Labor, we know that yet again they are short on funding.

We need to focus on the positive impact that this bill will have for schools and, importantly, for students throughout Australia—smart coalition policy, just like Australia's smart students, who are benefiting from real reforms. These are reforms that can only be delivered by the coalition government. The coalition is committed to educating Australian students to the highest possible standard.

Equity and fairness are espoused in the teachings at schools right across Australia. So it is fitting that, through this bill, funding is also fair.

The amendments in this bill allow the government to deliver on our Quality Schools package, outlined in the 2017 budget. This bill amends the act to implement the government's commitment to support parental choice, and to deliver real needs-based funding and long-term certainty for parents and schools and to tie funding to reforms that evidence shows improve students' outcomes.

Importantly, this bill sets Commonwealth schools funding for the next 10 years and beyond, giving certainty to the sector. It applies new indexation arrangements to Commonwealth school funding and transitions schools to a common Commonwealth share of the Schooling Resource Standard by 2027. This standard equates to 80 per cent for non-government schools and 20 per cent for government schools. This bill also enables regulation which allows the government to withhold, reduce or recoup funding paid to jurisdictions which do not meet the Commonwealth's requirements to at least maintain their student funding levels. Regulation will be applied to both government and non-government schools, and prevents cost-shifting.

Education is a major part of Australia's future. Irrespective of whether your child attends a public or a private school, the world, quite literally, is their oyster. Education is the great enabler.

Between 2018 and 2027, a record $242.3 billion will be invested in total schools recurrent funding. This includes $81.1 billion between 2018 and 2021. Over the next decade, funding will grow, on average, by 94 per cent for government schools and 62 per cent for non-government schools. This growth allows schools to continue to expand successful programs such as specialist teachers or targeted interventions for children falling behind.

The fact remains that the coalition's new schools funding arrangements are fair, transparent, equitable and needs based. Quite simply, students with greater needs will attract higher levels of funding from the Commonwealth. Students at schools like The Glenleighden School in Ryan will be the beneficiaries.

The Australian government is committed to fairness and, as such, will remove the 27 secret and special deals that Labor instigated that currently mean that students with the same needs within the same sector receive different levels of Commonwealth funding. We know that, under Labor's current arrangements, schools take at least 150 years to see equitable allocation of the Commonwealth's contribution to the Schooling Resource Standard. Quite frankly, this is unacceptable and gives good reason for the coalition to resolve Labor's unfair, biased and ill-managed policy.

Members here well know that the first day of a child's school life spells a limitless career. When parents tell their children—who invariably disagree and disregard the comment at the time—that the sky is the limit, it really is. Given that children spend upwards of 12 years in schools and in tertiary studies, it is important that these places of learning are at their peak.

I know we are all very fortunate to have some exceptional schools in our electorates. However, schools in the Ryan electorate consistently rank among the highest of Queensland schools. This was evident in last year's annual Your School report by The Weekend Australian. The Your School report highlights the achievements of students and teachers in schools that scored the very best results in the national literacy and numeracy tests. Many schools in the Ryan electorate featured in the report, and they include: Ironside State School at St Lucia, which was the No. 1 primary school in Queensland; Rainworth State School, Bardon; Fig Tree Pocket State School; Brisbane Montessori School at Fig Tree Pocket; St Ignatius Primary School at Toowong; Bardon State School; Kenmore South State School; Brookfield State School; St Peter's Lutheran College at Indooroopilly; Brisbane Boys' College at Toowong; Indooroopilly State School and Indooroopilly State High School; Ashgrove State School; St Joseph's School, Bardon; Chapel Hill State School; Mater Dei Catholic School at Ashgrove West; Stuartholme; and, of course, Pullenvale State School. Each of these schools should be proud of their achievements. Each teacher, student and parent at these schools should also be delighted that they enjoy this reputation.

These scores do not indicate that the schools not attaining a top rating are less deserving. Just like the sky being the limit for students, those schools that were not on this year's list are all exceptional in their own unique ways. It is not just academic scores that create a successful school and a successful student. There is certainly no one-size-fits-all model. However, there are always a few ingredients that go a long way, including resourcing, talented teachers, a strong sense of community, dedicated students and committed parents. What works for one school may be completely different to another school nearby. Whether a child becomes a successful doctor, builder, business owner, astrophysicist or plumber, they can think back to their schooling days and the investment that they and their school made to help them achieve.

While on the topic of schools in the very scholastic electorate of Ryan, I was privileged last week that the Prime Minister took some time out of his busy schedule to visit a very special school, The Glenleighden School located at Fig Tree Pocket. The Prime Minister saw first-hand that school's unique teaching methods which combine teaching and therapy to prepare children for the next stage of their education. Aptly, The Glenleighden School's motto is helping children to speak and find their voice. The school recognises that children and young people with language impairments often have difficulties with social, emotional and behavioural regulation. It is therefore committed to supporting and protecting all students. I know I speak on behalf of the Prime Minister when I say that this visit was truly humbling. It is through the Quality Schools package that this education facility will be better equipped to support the success and futures of each and every student.

This bill provides a strong foundation for achieving our long-term vision for Australian schools. By providing a funding model that is fair, transparent and needs based, we will improve results of all Australia's school students. In the great words of a local Ryan resident, Springfield Land Corporation CEO Maha Sinnathamby: 'Education is the currency of the future. It cannot be stolen from the owner.' Through decisive coalition policy, we are providing all Australian students with the currency that they need for their futures.

I commend this bill to the House.

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