Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm really pleased to rise to speak about local public schools, as well as Catholic schools, independent schools and special schools, in my electorate. In the federal electorate of Petrie, I have almost 50 schools, and I visit all of them regularly. I get along to a lot of them. I'm really pleased that the federal coalition government has been increasing school funding for public schools every year since I was elected 5½ years ago. Every year, they are going up—and they will continue to go up, over the next two years, every single year. So schools in the southern end of my electorate, such as Aspley State School down in the Brisbane City Council area, will receive more funding from the federal government next year than they do this year. The Aspley Special School do a wonderful job in my electorate teaching students with disability. I have been to their awards night several times. They will receive more funding as well. So will Bracken Ridge State High School, Bracken Ridge State School and Norris Road State School. The Sandgate District State High School, which is just outside my electorate in Lilley, also does a great job educating children in Bracken Ridge—and the Bald Hills State School.

To put this into perspective: back in 2016, when we were in government, federal funding for state schools was $16.1 billion nationally. In 2017 federal funding for state schools was $17.5 billion. So that is actually $1.4 billion more. In 2018 it was $18.7 billion. This year, federal funding for state schools is $19.9 billion. Next year, in 2020, it will be $21.5 billion. Because the economy has been growing, because the unemployment rate is at five per cent, the federal Liberal-National government will continue to invest more into education. All of my sons have gone through Shorncliffe State School, a great local school in Lilley just outside my electorate. My youngest son, Samuel, finished year 6 there last year. I was very proud for him to be the library captain at Shorncliffe State School and I was very pleased with all my three sons receiving seven years of education at Shorncliffe State School. I want to thank all the teachers, the principal and everyone involved there. They all certainly did very well.

Griffin State School, a new state school in a very fast-growing suburb in my electorate, had 250 students a few years ago—and I was there for the opening of the school. Now they are up to some 850 students. There are lots of people going to Griffin State School. In 2019, they will receive $2,537 from the federal government for every student that attends Griffin State School. Next year they will receive $2,682 for every student that attends Griffith State School. In 2021 they will receive $2,830 for every student that attends Griffin State School. I am very pleased that the federal government is funding state schools as well, and I encourage the state government to continue to fund state schools to the same level.

I am pleased that the federal Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan, recently signed an agreement with the Queensland education minister Grace Grace. Just two months ago they signed an agreement. Why did Grace Grace sign the agreement? Because every school in my electorate is receiving more money from the federal government. So I guess that is the message I want to get out to parents in my electorate: they are all receiving more money.

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