Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations, Education and Social Inclusion. I refer the minister to today’s revelation that Building the Education Revolution will spend $2½ million demolishing four functioning classrooms at Abbotsford primary to replace them with four classrooms, in direct contravention of the wishes of the school community. Can the minister explain to the House how any cost-benefit analysis could justify such waste and reckless spending?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. It is important, because it goes to the government’s nation building for recovery plan in response to the worst global recession in 75 years. We do note the Liberal Party’s continuing opposition to supporting jobs during a global recession, and also its continuing opposition to supporting the biggest school modernisation program in the nation’s history.

The Leader of the Opposition has asked me a specific question, so I will answer it with some facts. The Building the Education Revolution component of our nation-building plan is supporting 24,000 individual projects that have been approved in around 9,500 schools across the country. These projects, of course, are benefiting students and supporting local jobs. More than 12,500 projects are underway and more than 400 projects are already completed, delivering tens of thousands of jobs around the nation.

These unprecedented efforts to support these jobs are being coordinated by coordinators at the national level and the public servants who support them, by the leaders of the Catholic and independent school authorities and by coordinators at state and territory government levels and the public servants who support them. I would like to thank the people across state, independent and Catholic education authorities who have worked so hard on this program that is vital to supporting jobs today and also supporting the nation’s productive future.

On the question of the Abbotsford Public School, which the Leader of the Opposition has raised with me, I can advise him of the following facts. The proposal about the development at the school was accepted by the school community on 25 May. That is, they endorsed the proposal that came from the New South Wales government, as the responsible education authority, through to the national government. So it was accepted by the school on 25 May. In terms of the proposal itself, it is about demolishing a building that was constructed—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about what they want?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am talking about the school community’s attitude to the proposal on 25 May. Then, in terms of the description of the proposal, the proposal is about demolishing a building from the 1950s, which is in poor condition, and giving a building in its place which, of course, would be a great improvement in terms of standards.

I note that there was some reference in today’s media reports about a covered outdoor learning area. That covered outdoor learning area is actually a program from the Building Better Schools program of the state government; it is not a Building the Education Revolution project. The Building the Education Revolution project is constructing the new building to replace the 1950s building, which is in poor condition.

I understand from media reports today—in the Australian newspaper, I believe—that there is concern in the school community about this, although the school community made a decision about it on 25 May. In circumstances where there is concern in the school community, obviously we are very keen to hear about their concerns. The best way, and the way that has been used by other school communities to indicate concerns and to have them looked at, is by emailing our Building the Education Revolution coordinator. The email address is ber@deewr.gov.au.

I can advise the Leader of the Opposition, in case he is interested, that during the course of the Building the Education Revolution program—more than 24,000 projects in around 9,500 schools—49 complaints have been received to date. Of course, those 49 complaints have and are being dealt with.