Page 2798 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 13 August 2019
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In this budget we are delivering new and expanded school facilities for every age group, from primary school through to college, particularly in the Gungahlin region. This will deliver the next major phase of investment in schools for Canberra’s key areas of growth.
The ACT government launched the future of education strategy in the 2018-19 budget which outlined the plan for education in the ACT for the next decade. The intention was to achieve better equity in learning outcomes and that all children should have the opportunity to thrive in school, regardless of external circumstances. It also outlined that we would continue to improve the quality of education in Canberra, with a focus on wellbeing, and this budget is delivering on these commitments.
We are lucky in Canberra to have many fantastic schools and educational institutions in our community, and I have sent my two children, Mallika and Ashvin, to local schools in Yerrabi. My home suburb, Gungahlin, is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Whilst this provides exciting opportunities it also comes with significant challenges. It is essential that we ensure that our city is ready to service new Canberrans in the next decade.
I am incredibly proud that our ACT Labor government is building two schools in Gungahlin. This budget has committed to building a new primary school in Throsby, which will be ready to take students at the start of 2022. An additional new high school is also planned to serve east Gungahlin and is intended to open in 2023. These areas are experiencing rapid growth, and we have listened to the community about capacity needs at our schools and have responded. The two new schools will deliver 1,382 more places for students, to better service Canberrans in the Gungahlin region.
This budget also outlined plans to expand local schools, particularly in the Gungahlin region with 200 more places at Gold Creek School’s senior campus. The budget will also provide a further 350 places at schools across the inner north, including Gungahlin.
In conjunction with this, we are delivering an additional 400 places at Franklin Early Childhood School, and the 2019-20 budget provides $29.5 million to fund this expansion. Through this budget we are working to ensure that every student has access to a great school close to home and that they are supported academically.
It has been well established that the first three years of a child’s life set the foundation for social, physical, emotional and cognitive development. Evidence shows that a person’s life success including health and overall wellbeing are strongly linked to childhood. If we get the early years right we are setting children up to thrive in their later years.
This is why I am incredibly pleased that our ACT Labor government is progressing the delivery of the ACT early childhood strategy. This is a significant reform that we are rolling out to all Canberra families and children in need, especially families experiencing disadvantage and vulnerability. This budget has outlined $2.2 million as part of the first step towards 15 hours per week, 600 hours per year, free, universal, quality early childhood education for three-year-old children. This strategy is
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