Ged Kearney (Batman, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was out doorknocking recently in Reservoir, and I met a young mum who was doing it pretty tough. She told me her kids go to Reservoir East Primary School, their local state comprehensive school. She said it's one of the best things in their lives. She told me that, if she's having a particularly tough day, she rings the school principal, James. James hops in his car, drives to her house, collects the kids and takes them to school without any fuss or drama. I hear stories like this all the time about James. His school, Reservoir East primary, has a significant number of kids from tough backgrounds. James constantly goes over and above, not just to educate the kids but to care for them and their families.

Schools like Reser East are the reason I'm so thrilled Labor has committed to an extra $14 billion for public schools, with a $3.3 billion commitment in the first three years. This money will mean a good education for all kids, no matter their circumstances. It's a game changer for public schools—the biggest investment in public schools in Australian history. With this money and increased principal autonomy, public schools will be able to deliver smaller class sizes, more teachers and more one-to-one attention. Most importantly, for schools like Reser East, it will mean they can provide supports like speech pathologists, social workers and family liaison officers. This is crucial to schools in my electorate. More than anything, I want a Shorten Labor government to be elected so we can deliver this and give public schools and the kids they educate the funding they deserve.