Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week was Public Education Week—a week of opportunity for the community to celebrate the work of students, teachers and parents in our public schools. I was privileged to join in some of the local celebrations. I had the honour of attending a leaders breakfast at Berkeley Vale Public School as well as the Tuggerah Lakes Learning Community Values Forum. This forum is funded under an Australian government program and involves 10 schools: Tuggerah Lakes secondary colleges in Berkeley Vale, Tumbi Umbi and The Entrance; and The Entrance, Bateau Bay, Brooke Avenue, Killarney Vale, Berkeley Vale, Chittaway Bay and Wamberal public schools. Each school invited 30 people to the event and gave a presentation on how their school promotes values and ethics. It was great to see firsthand the values that these school communities aspire to, and I congratulate the teachers on a job well done.

I also recently attended the opening of new facilities at MacKillop Catholic College, along with Bishop David Walker. I congratulate the school on their efforts in establishing the best possible facilities for their students. The Australian government provided funding of $6.6 million, through the capital development program, towards new classrooms and facilities. I believe that this project demonstrates the commitment of the Australian government to providing every student with the best possible learning environment through the funding of these new facilities.

We have, all up, 52 schools in Dobell. The Australian government is committed to ensuring that every student receives a quality school education. This is being done by improving choice in education— (Time expired)