Page 3283 - Week 10 - Thursday, 25 September 2014
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Education is the largest single directorate investment. But if we do not get our priorities right and spend the money when it is needed, it is useless. And this government has a track record in promising, re-promising and often not delivering. It is almost par for the course for this government. Perhaps that is its plan for the Gungahlin train set as well. But even if it is, millions of taxpayers’ dollars have already been spent on this folly at a time when schools are being evacuated, others are needing temporary classrooms, and teachers are missing out on professional development.
Just before I conclude, Madam Assistant Speaker, Minister Burch has been very fond of saying what cuts this government has received. Well, I have a very clear direction from the federal government. There are no cuts to commonwealth government school funding to the ACT over the next four years, 2014 to 2017. The facts are the that Abbott government restored the $1.2 billion that the previous government had taken out of forward estimates for school funding and that total commonwealth funding to all schools in the ACT will increase by $67 million, a 28.7 per cent increase from 2013-14 to 2017-18. But Ms Burch was not complaining when the Gonski issues—(Time expired.)
MS BERRY (Ginninderra) (4.53): The government agrees wholeheartedly that it is important to get its education priorities right for ACT residents. This is a government that has made education a priority in every budget and will continue to do so. The 2014-15 budget invested $943.2 million in the ACT education system, which is up 5.2 per cent on 2013-14. Recurrent funding for the public education sector, including teaching and schooling operation costs, is $566.9 million, an increase of $17.7 million on 2013-14.
This budget includes capital funding of $81.6 million for 2014-15 to improve physical infrastructure, as well as information and communication technology. The ACT government continues to support non-government schools, with $59.1 million allocated for this sector. This investment proves that education is a priority for this government. This investment will improve our schools and learning environments. This investment will improve educational outcomes for people at each stage of their life: our children in early learning, our school students through to year 12, and adults, both school leavers and more mature learners who are undertaking training. Yes, Madam Assistant Speaker, education is a priority for this government and we have got our priorities right.
We start early in a child’s life. In the early learning space, our commitments focus on infrastructure, educators and quality. It is clear that investments in early learning pay dividends in setting up children for success. We have allocated $1.4 million over two years to enable the refurbishment and upgrade of the childcare facilities at Bunyarra and Salem children’s centres to meet the national quality standards for early childhood education and care services.
We are investing $500,000 over the next two years to extend the existing early childhood scholarship program, and $295,000 over four years and $136,000 per year after that in the degree scholarships program which provides $6,000 towards participants gaining an approved early childhood teaching qualification.
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