Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Newcastle also asks about higher education: she would know that under the coalition, we will see a 23 per cent increase—through to 2021—in the funding of higher education, and that we are supporting regional student hubs, and that we have already seen growth in funding greater than the economic growth across the economy. We are basing our recommendations and our policy on the work of an expert panel which received many submissions. The member for Indi asked me about budget-based funding for childcare centres; there are 300 of these around the country, 22,000 students are supported, and we will continue to strongly support their funding of more than $60 million. Consultation on the guidelines closed on 13 June and it will be important to have these settled.

My own colleagues raised important issues. The member for Ford asked about funding in Queensland. We will see a 4.9 per cent increase for government schools, a 3.5 per cent increase for Catholic schools, and a five per cent increase for independent schools. The member for Brisbane also would be pleased to know about the increased funding in that state under the Turnbull government's plans, and the Brisbane archdiocese has also come out very strongly in support of the coalition's program. When it comes to child care, I was asked important questions by my colleague the member for Chisholm—and she would know very well, because she is an excellent local member, that childcare funding is going to increase under the coalition government, and that this increase will benefit nearly one million hardworking families. We are rewarding those families who have the longest working hours. Families who are earning less than $185,000 will be much better off under this program. We will see 230,000 families empowered to work under this program, so there continues to be strong support for child care under the government's plan.

The member for Durack was also pleased to know about the increases in funding across the state of Western Australia—4½ per cent for independent schools, 3.8 per cent for the Catholic sector and 6.8 per cent for the government sector. And, of course, the schooling resource standard will be much better funded under the coalition government than it ever was under Labor's 27 secret special deals.

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