Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

The Rudd government’s commitment to boost jobs in investment in Australia’s long-term future will see every school receive funding for the maintenance of new buildings as part of the $14.7 billion Building the Education Revolution.

This is a historic commitment of building investment in the Australian education system. It is a historic commitment which the Liberal Party have never supported. They, of course, support the local announcements and support turning up, but they do not support the program. They will seek to draw attention to particular matters in South Australia, but I have no doubt there will be no shortage of Liberal Party members actually turning up to the opening. I am aware that there has been a claim made in some South Australian government primary schools about double dipping and, as with every other issue that has been raised in the media by the opposition, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is looking into these claims. However the department has received advice from the South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services that the schools mentioned in the article are, in fact, separate schools and therefore entitled to separate funding.