Laura Smyth (La Trobe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That paragraph 1 of the motion be amended to read as follows:

(1) opposes the Victorian Liberal Government’s scrapping of the ‘School Start Bonus’ and ‘School-based Education Maintenance Allowance’ payments and calls for them to be immediately reinstated.

The effects of the amendment are that this House will reaffirm its opposition to the Victorian Liberal government's scrapping of the school start bonus and education maintenance allowance. The balance of the motion remains the same and reflects the longstanding view of many members in this place that cuts to education in Victoria are causing significant impacts at a primary, secondary and TAFE level, have significant impacts for pathways for education and ultimately for pathways to employment opportunities for students in Victoria and for the families who will ultimately come to rely on jobs that are available to those people who are appropriately skilled and have significant and long-term impacts for members of the Victorian community.

The scrapping of the school based education maintenance allowance and the school start bonus in Victoria has had the effect in some schools of meaning that principals have had to search for an extra $40,000 in the school budget. That is an extraordinary amount for principals to have to find. It is an extraordinary amount for principals and schools in school communities which have backgrounds of low-income families. It is particularly difficult for those schools to find the funds to be able to fill those gaps in their budgets. We know that this will impact disproportionately on people who are of low income. It will mean that their children are unable to get things like textbooks and uniforms and pay for things like stationery and excursions.

This is simply another indication of what a Liberal government means to education, to families and to family budgets. It comes on the back of very significant cuts to the TAFE sector which have meant that one TAFE in my electorate is facing 220 job cuts this year alone and the closure of Swinburne's Lilydale campus. These are yet more indications of precisely what it means to have a Liberal government in office. I commend the amendment. It reflects the concern of many members not only from Victoria but from other states which are facing similar cuts to education. It reflects the concern and the sentiment of very many people in Victoria who are troubled by the impact of the Baillieu government on their primary schools, secondary schools and TAFE sector.

Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the amendment seconded?

Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion as amended.

Harry Jenkins (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hope that I am assisting the House by devoting some time to this important issue. I wish to congratulate the member for La Trobe for the way in which she has put this important issue, which is of national significance, before the House. Regrettably, the Victorian government is displaying the sort of behaviour that we are seeing from many other coalition states, with disregard for the way in which we should invest in one of our most important resources—that is, our human resources. Just as it is in regions such as those of the members for La Trobe and Deakin, I know that my colleague the member for McEwen sees that what is happening in the northern suburbs of Melbourne is problematic. The member for Maribyrnong is here, championing the western suburbs and the importance of technical education, which is being impinged upon by coalition governments in a very false economy. The thought that they are actually cutting their budgets and saving money in this way, with total disregard for the long-term impact of their mendacious ways, is a great problem.

If we look at the history of the way in which coalition governments in Victoria have treated this sector, we will understand that it was predictable that the Baillieu government would do this. I cite as an example a school in the electorate of Batman, Northland Secondary College, which did so much for and developed so many programs for disadvantaged and low-socioeconomic communities. It then suffered the cuts of the Kennett government. It continued to survive with community support and now, in its latest iteration, has become the Northern College of the Arts and Technology and has benefited from the investment that this government has made in trades training. I think that is important.

In the Whittlesea municipality, which serves the electorates of Scullin and McEwen, we have seen the rebadging of the Peter Lalor Secondary College as the Peter Lalor Vocational College. On the campus of the Peter Lalor Vocational College we see a trades training centre about to be completed, but those who invested their time and vision in that are very fearful that the penny-pinching attitude of the Baillieu government might destroy the great impact that the trade training centre could have because of the lack of continuity.

Because I spend nights in the electorate of Eden-Monaro, in the fine town of Queanbeyan—I will not mention the suburb that I live in—I agree with the interjection from the member for Eden-Monaro that we see the O'Farrell government continuing the same sort of behaviour. These are important issues that need to be ventilated here in the national parliament. As I said, I think it is appropriate that somebody who champions their community, like the member for La Trobe, should bring this issue in front of the House. I hope that even those opposite will see that there is great value in all spheres of government continuing to invest in the important technical education of young Australians.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to support this amendment and to support the motion. I have seen firsthand, especially in my electorate, the effect of some of the devastating cuts, cuts that were not announced and cuts that have had significant impact on people's technical and further education. Given that this is a motion that descends into urging Victorian state parties to do one thing or another, I would urge the Victorian Labor Party to adopt a position that they will fully reverse the cuts. To date the Labor Party has been loud in its condemnation of the Victorian Liberal government but has not been prepared to say that it will reverse the cuts. I am not going to move an amendment to the motion to that effect, but I would hope that at some point we see a bit of even-handedness and we hear Victorian Labor saying that they will reverse the cuts.

Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I also put on record my support for this motion and the urgent need for a co-investment strategy from the Commonwealth and the states in education generally and in the pathways from secondary to vocational and tertiary education in Australia today. I am deeply concerned that agreements reached in this place two years ago around the $500 million regional round of the Education Investment Fund are being held back because of that lack of a co-investment strategy and because of significant cuts of over $1 billion by the three Eastern States in particular. I would hope we can get that co-investment strategy sometime soon and we can start to put a focus on the importance of education to the standard of living for Australia for the next 40 or 50 years among all governments in this country.

Question agreed to.

Original question, as amended, agreed to.