Page 3102 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 2013
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meeting student demand, and transparency and accountability. In mentioning transparency and accountability, I would draw the attention of Mr Doszpot and others over there with an interest in this to the heads of agreement which are there for all to see online. I encourage you to go in and have a look at the bilateral that I signed with the federal government to make sure that we move through those five areas of reform under the national education reform agreement.
Over the next six years, the national education reform agreement will see government funding to all ACT schools increase by $190 million—from $690 million in this year to $880 million in 2019. Public schools will receive an additional $100 million, the Catholic system an extra $60 million and the independent schools an extra $30 million. This historic agreement will benefit almost 70,000 students across the territory and will drive long-term improvements in ACT schools. The ACT’s contribution towards these reforms is more than $34 million over the coming four years in this budget, with $21 million for public schools, $9 million for non-government schools and $4 million to help the transition of public schools to the new funding formulas.
This government will also continue to ensure that our students and teachers have 21st century buildings and infrastructure. In this budget our investment in new school facilities and refurbishing old schools continues. For example, $550,000 has been allocated to complete designs for the Coombs Primary School that will provide public preschool and primary school facilities for the growing community in Molonglo.
There is $14 million to build the facility for the Canberra College cares program at the Canberra College Phillip campus. Dr Bourke made mention of that. That new facility will provide learning spaces and facilities to support pregnant and parenting young students and their children. As Dr Bourke rightly pointed out, the allocation of $2 million is the beginning of the refurbishment of the Belconnen High School modernisation. There is also $3.3 million for repair and maintenance and upgrades to ACT public schools.
Speaking of capital upgrades, Mr Doszpot made mention of an allocation for capital upgrades for early education and care. He made a very expected and quite typical comment that that was not value for money. But what he fails to understand is that—
Mr Doszpot: No, I did not say that.
MS BURCH: You did. You did say that it was not value for money.
Mr Doszpot: I did not say that at all.
MS BURCH: You check your words, Mr Doszpot. I will put a Mars Bar on it; all right? You said that is not value for money.
Mr Doszpot: You’re on; okay.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, members!
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