Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to rise in this House and speak about education and education funding. I'm pleased to stand on this side of the chamber because of what this government is actually doing with education funding. I will take on notice the comments from the member for Sydney. When she spoke she happened to mention one of my fantastic schools, Upper Coomera State College. For her edification, I did take the opportunity today to meet with Laurie and also with Natalia, who is one of the young terrific teachers at Windaroo Valley State High School, to give them the correct information on what's happening with education funding in the state of Queensland, in particular for those two schools but, more importantly, for public schools across the electorate of Forde. I will say that both of them spoke about the programs that they are running at Upper Coomera State College and also at Windaroo Valley State High School.

I'll educate those opposite as to why those schools and many others in the electorate of Forde and across Queensland can actually fund those programs. Those programs are funded under a program called I4S—Investing for Success and for excellence. That money was actually provided by this coalition government after we came into government in 2013. Under the old funding model that existed with those opposite when they were in government, that money did not exist and the schools in my electorate and the schools across Queensland would not have been able to run these programs. So the very programs that Laurie and Natalia are speaking about—and speaking so positively about that the member for North Sydney mentioned it in her contribution to this debate—are purely in existence because of the investment and the funding of this coalition government in the schools of Queensland.

I note the member for Moreton, opposite. He's a good friend on the soccer field. We enjoy a round of football every now and again. But I want him to explain in his contribution to this debate—which I am sure he is going to make next—how his schools actually received the extra funding that they're using under this I4S program. That is federal money that this government has invested in state schools in Queensland. Those opposite, once again, are launching a campaign, at the behest of their union masters, which is completely disingenuous and in no way whatsoever reflects the facts of what's happening on the ground. The reality is that this government is investing record amounts of money in schools across this country and, in particular, in schools in Queensland. And what we have seen as a result is a simpler, fairer and more structured education funding model that everybody can follow and understand. And it is needs based, which is what David Gonski himself recommended.

In Queensland over the next 10 years—or even over the next four years—funding to state schools is growing at an average of nearly six per cent; funding to non-government schools is growing at some 4.4 per cent. So we are continuing to fund and grow the public school sector. In reality, at the moment we fund about 17.7 per cent of the schooling resource standard for government schools in Queensland. That will grow to 20 per cent. It's a growth of some 13 per cent over the next 10 years. In comparison, for the independent and Catholic school sector it's some five per cent. So the argument that we are preferencing the independent and Catholic school sector over and above the government school sector is complete and utter nonsense.

I can't believe the hypocrisy of those opposite. In the recent Batman by-election, they said nothing about funding for government schools, but they said everything about funding for Catholic schools, for a purely political motive. They had no interest in what was good for students or what was good for teachers, but they had a purely political motive to win a seat because they were under pressure from the Greens. They are common bedfellows with hypocrisy when it comes to a whole range of issues. It is this government, on this side of the House, that is providing the funding necessary for our schools.

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