Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Mason for that question. It would perhaps have been better directed at Senator Carr, but I am happy to deal with the question. For the first time there is a capital program dedicated to ensuring that, when a student in years 9 to 12 needs a computer for their education, it will be available. The Australian government has always recognised there are additional associated costs with the implementation of the National Secondary School Computer Fund. Only through COAG could these costs be agreed. A review to determine legitimate and additional funding implications of the National Secondary School Computer Fund was first completed with the full cooperation of all education jurisdictions. The report was then considered at the COAG meeting in conjunction with a range of Commonwealth-state financial reforms.

The funding package provides funding to meet the costs of installation and maintenance of the new computers purchased through the fund. In January 2008 the government conducted a nationwide preliminary survey of computers in schools, with 97 per cent of Australian secondary schools participating in the survey. The national audit asked schools to tell us how many computers they had that were under four years old, and specifically for students in years 9 to 12. The national audit revealed that the national average is one computer to every five students, despite claims— (Time expired)