Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was particularly pleased recently to be able to announce Australian government grants worth over $5 million for capital works at the Chancellor State College in my electorate of Fisher on the Sunshine Coast. This college will receive $4.779 million towards stage 4C of the performing arts project, as well as $240,000 towards stage 3A—the fit-out of the manual arts block.

This is an excellent school. The principal is John Lockhart. Many people seek to go there. In fact, they have had to draw an area around the school to ensure that only people who are in the geographic locality of that school are able to go there. It is located in one of the fastest growing areas of the Sunshine Coast, and parents and students are voting with their feet to go to Chancellor State College. It is vital that facilities keep up with demand to ensure the best possible learning environment for our children. This funding announcement demonstrates the Australian government’s continued commitment to a strong and effective school system, including a state school system, maximising the opportunities for young Australians.

There is a lot of misinformation out there about this government’s approach to government education. In 2006, this government is investing over $391 million in capital works in Australian schools through the capital grants program. Of that, over $278 million is provided for major capital projects in state schools. Over $55.4 million is allocated to state schools in Queensland in 2006. That is why I was particularly pleased to get, with respect to the performing arts project and the fit-out of the manual arts block, over $5 million for Chancellor State College. It is really good to see the government allocating funds to schools and institutions which have the capacity to maximise their usage to improve educational outcomes for young Australians. The Chancellor State College is a college that does enjoy very strong community support, and I have to say that it gave me a great deal of pleasure to ring the principal to pass on the excellent news.

I think it is unfortunate that there is so much misinformation out there about this government’s approach to education. We are all about excellence in education in both the government and non-government sectors. This government has been increasing its spending in relation to state school education at a much higher rate than the states have been funding their own responsibilities for state education. In a personal sense, I think it would be great if all the states handed the education systems over to the Australian government so that we could have consistency of curricula throughout the nation—and, of course, you would not find the buck-passing which occurs when states try to avoid their funding responsibilities. The states, of course, get every last cent of the GST, and they and, in particular, the Beattie government in Queensland stand condemned for failing to fund state school education. This government has the runs on the board, and I am very pleased to be a member supporting the government. (Time expired)