Kym Richardson (Kingston, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Education, Science and Training. Would the minister inform the House what the federal government is doing to provide students in government schools with adequate facilities all across Australia and, in particular, in my electorate of Kingston?

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kingston for his question, and note his deep interest in schools in his electorate. I am pleased to be able to report to the House that recently I announced the outcome of round 2 for the $1 billion Investing in our Schools Program in the ACT, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Under round 2 for these areas, $36 million has been invested in schools. Under round 1 of the $1 billion Investing in our Schools Program, the Australian government has funded $100 million in 4,040 projects in 2,614 schools across Australia.

Let us remember what this program is about. The Australian government is responding to a failure on the part of state and territory governments to adequately maintain schools owned and operated by state and territory governments. That is why $700 million of this billion dollar program is directed to state and territory government schools for basic infrastructure for those schools.

This has been an incredibly popular program. Members on this side of the House will recall how excited teachers, parents and students were to be able to get funding for some basic infrastructure needs for their schools. We have been able to provide funding for airconditioning, for shade structures, for toilet blocks—some had not been renovated in 20 or 30 years.

The member for Kingston will be delighted with the outcome in his electorate. Over $639,000 was provided to schools in his electorate, and I trust that schools in his electorate will also apply for funding in round 2. I suspect that one of the biggest fans of this program is the member for Jagajaga. She would have been so excited to have been able to announce that 28 Victorian government schools in the electorate of Jagajaga received over $883,000 for basic infrastructure.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Macklin interjecting

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

See what a fan she is of this billion dollar program on the part of the Howard government! This program is evidence of the Australian government’s commitment to ensuring the best outcomes in education for all Australian schools. That is why we are investing $33 billion over the next four years in Australian schools.