Page 2207 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 August 2022
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Education
Education is the second-largest area of expenditure in the budget. We recognise that, as our city grows and as we focus on the delivery of our election commitments, we will need to build new schools and invest in our world-class public education system.
So this budget sees an additional $240 million invested in education and lifelong learning.
We are investing more to improve safety across our schools, to support students with additional needs, and to strengthen cultural integrity through promoting the integration and understanding of local Ngunnawal language and culture.
Overall, we are investing more than $985 million in 2022-23 delivering the quality public education that the children of Canberra deserve and that their parents and guardians expect.
We are undertaking the most ambitious school infrastructure program in the territory’s self-governing history. We are building new schools and upgrading and expanding existing schools in areas of the city that are experiencing rapid population growth.
There are nine major school infrastructure projects completed or under construction already in this parliamentary term, and another five major school builds already scheduled to start in the next four years.
In totality, this program will increase student places in growth areas of Canberra by over 5,000, ensuring world class facilities are available across the ACT.
Housing
In this budget the government delivers a comprehensive package to tackle housing affordability and supply. From further targeted stamp duty cuts through to the construction of hundreds of new public housing dwellings, we are taking the steps necessary to ensure more Canberrans have access to affordable, safe and secure homes.
As we have indicated publicly, the government is planning for an increase of around 30,000 dwellings in the territory over the next five years. That will take the number of dwellings in the ACT from around 180,000 dwellings to 210,000. Around two-thirds of those 210,000 dwellings are detached houses on single blocks. The balance—the remaining third—will be a mixture of dual occupancies, duplexes, row houses, terraces, townhouses, villas, walk-up apartment buildings and taller apartment blocks.
In short, a growing Canberra needs a variety of housing choices to meet changing demographic needs.
The ACT government has been building more affordable homes per capita than the national average. This budget invests another $87 million into the growing and renewing public housing program to expand that program by a further 140 dwellings, as well as an additional investment in public housing maintenance and repairs.
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