Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and I know that he is concerned about supporting jobs in his local community during the days of a global recession. Of course, Building the Education Revolution is about urgently supporting jobs, small businesses and tradespeople in every community across the country during the global recession. One reason schools were chosen for this economic stimulus is that they are in every community across the country. So we are not only supporting jobs and tradespeople in the city but also supporting jobs and tradespeople in rural and regional areas. Thousands of people are having work supported to deliver these school upgrades.

As I have had cause to say in the House in the past, there are more than 24,000 projects at around 9,500 schools. I would like to take the House to just one and to its support for local jobs. At the Belgian Gardens State School in the member for Herbert’s electorate, the $3.2 million that has been received through the Primary Schools for the 21st Century program and the National School Pride Program is supporting local jobs. The builder, Dickinson Constructions Pty Ltd, is hiring a range of subcontractors, providing work to local businesses including: Amalgamated Pest Control; NatSteel, Garbutt; Townsville Concrete; A Gabrielli Construction; Scott Blocks; Corradini Engineering; G James Glass and Aluminium; Colonial Sheetmetal; Best Doors; High Performance Plumbing; K and F O’Donnell Electrical, Castletown; Cleveland Trade Centre; Project Hardware, Galton; Mark Von Senden Plastering; Alec Morrossi; and RST Airconditioning. So jobs are being supported at this local school as the school engages in the biggest school modernisation program this nation has ever seen.

Given that in this question time there have been questions about the state of the economy and the need for support for jobs, can I say to members opposite and to all members of the House that what this one example shows is how economic stimulus through the biggest school modernisation program in the nation’s history is supporting jobs for local people. That is supported on this side of the House. It is to be deeply regretted that those opposite cannot see their way clear to supporting local jobs.

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