Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Government's additional $23.5 billion investment in Australian schools over the next 10 years, on top of the 2016 budget, will deliver the real needs based funding that our students need to succeed;

(b) this funding package will ensure that all students and schools are treated fairly and equitably, and that students with the same need in the same sector receive the same support from the Commonwealth; and

(c) in the electoral division of Fisher this action by the Government will ensure that, for example, Glasshouse Christian College will receive an additional $28.5 million, Chancellor State College will receive an additional $24.6 million, and Meridan State College will receive an additional $23.5 million in funding over the next ten years;

(2) congratulates the Government on this major investment in Australia's future and on delivering needs based funding into the school system;

(3) welcomes the Government's action to ensure that this additional funding delivers improved results, through initiatives like the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools, the Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education, and the Teacher Performance Assessment; and

(4) encourages the Government to continue its focus on improving educational outcomes and ensuring that school funding is well spent, particularly in regional areas such as the Sunshine Coast.

The upbringing of our children is one of the greatest responsibilities that we all share as a community. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, and that is very, very true. For those of us in this place it's our particular responsibility to deliver an education system that gives all Australian children the opportunity to grow and to succeed. Governments and politicians quickly come and go. Laws are enacted and repealed but, in setting the parameters of our children's education, we play a part in building the future of an entire generation and therefore our nation. That's why this government has made investment and reform in education one of the centrepieces of its agenda. We have committed an unprecedented additional $23.5 billion over the next 10 years. This investment in our children's futures, which is unmatched in our nation's history, represents an average of more than $2,300 for every Australian student. However, this government recognises that taxpayer funds are not endless, which is why we must prioritise those schools and those students who need additional resources the most. The true needs-based funding model that the government has developed achieves just that.

In my own regional electorate of Fisher, this will mean that every school will receive additional funds. The biggest beneficiaries will be Glasshouse Christian College, which will receive an additional $28.5 million; Chancellor State College, $24.6 million; and Meridan State College, $23.5 million. Overall, every student in every school sector in Fisher will see an increase in support. It is a testament to this government's commitment to education that many colleagues on both sides of the House will be able to say the same.

We also recognise that money is not everything when it comes to securing the best educational outcomes for our children. However, in my own electorate of Fisher, we have seen the great things that schools can achieve when they do have the resources to invest. I spoke only last week in the House about a school in my local electorate, Kawana Waters State College. Kawana Waters has built a new health education unit to teach up to 120 year 11 and year 12 students. Their investment allows the school to go far beyond the classroom, to create a truly immersive, practical and 21st century learning experience, mixing actual hospital equipment with digital simulation. This is in a high school.

Extra investment can deliver these big projects, but it is also about the smaller changes that can make a world of difference. Extra resources can allow schools to put together simple but expensive activities like work experience, sports programs or debating teams. While I'm on the subject of debating teams, I'd like to congratulate Kate, Lucy and Mia as well as their teacher Ms Watson from Chancellor State College for their win in the intermediate age group just last week at the Sunshine Coast Schools Debating Competition held at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Whether it be a Kawana Waters State College Health Education Unit, Chancellor's State College's debating team or even the new bathroom facilities installed at the C&K Mooloolaba Early Childhood Centre, these programs deliver for the Turnbull government and make a huge difference to the learning experience of all our students.

However, when it comes to education, money isn't everything. Over recent decades, we have seen huge increases in spending on schools while our educational outcomes have not substantially improved. What is more important than money is how our students are being taught, what they are being taught and the skills and training of the teachers who are their instructors, their mentors and their guides. That is why the government is ensuring the quality and readiness of new teachers with strengthened accreditation standards for teaching courses and ensuring that graduate teachers have literacy and numeracy skills in the top 30 per cent of adults, with the rollout in 2018 of the new teacher performance assessment.

To ensure ongoing improvement, the government is also undertaking a comprehensive process of consultation and review of education practices throughout Australia. We are asking the right questions of teachers, students, school administrators, parents and education experts in our cities and regions. I commend that work, and I commend this motion to the House.

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