John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the importance of education and the efforts this government has taken to support and encourage students in their final weeks of year 12. It goes without saying that education is the key for fulfilling and successful careers. It provides individuals with the skills and expertise to become everything from teachers and surgeons to plumbers and astronauts. The diverse variety of jobs and careers in a modern economy like Australia's requires a diversity of education and training opportunities. It is important that the government supports all varieties of education, from traditional universities to vocational education and training such as TAFE, or even on-the-job training, and I'm proud to say that this government has done this.

If we consider the $17.7 billion allocated to the university sector in the 2019-20 budget, as well as the $525.3 million skills package committed to the VET sector, we see that this government makes substantial investments in our nation's higher education capacity.

But tertiary and further education can only work effectively if individuals have a strong start in primary and high school. As any economist could tell you, the strongest impact of education is made in the early years of schooling, when students are developing the core critical thinking and reasoning skills necessary for any profession. It is vital that this part of our education pipeline is as effective as possible. Over the 13 years of schooling from kindergarten to grade 12, young Australians all around the country gain a world-class education in a variety of subjects, spanning languages, maths, English, technology, sport and countless extracurricular activities. However, the quality of this system should not be taken for granted. It requires commitment, hard work and extensive funding for it to be possible.

I'm proud that this government has stepped up to the challenge of making Australia's education system the best it possibly can be. This government has invested a record $21.3 billion for state schools, Catholic schools and independent schools for the 2020 school year, an increase in funding of $8.5 billion since 2013. In addition, we have funded $30.2 million in the 2019-20 years to establish the Local School Community Fund, which is to support priority projects in local schools that will benefit schools and their communities.

I would also like to highlight some of the local work I've been doing in my electorate to foster and encourage education for our children. As Australia's economy becomes more complex we will rely more and more on sectors that use science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM skills, as they are more commonly known. It is therefore essential that we foster STEM skills in our community, not simply through traditional classroom learning but also through applied problem solving and real-life scenarios. In 2016 I began the Bennelong STEM Challenge in order to provide students in the electorate with another opportunity to develop their STEM teamwork and interpersonal skills. Each year the STEM challenge sets up a complex STEM related problem and asks students to solve it. Last year it was designing a medical station for the surface of Mars, using 3D modelling software. It was hosted by Medtronic and led by the exceptional Dr Michael Myers from Re-Engineering Australia. Dozens of students created complex and ingenious designs, then came together for competition day, when they presented their designs using virtual reality software. It was a tremendous success. This year, the STEM challenge is back and I'm very excited to see what our students will develop this time.

In addition to the STEM challenge, I'm currently in the process of designing a Bennelong chess challenge with our local schools. Chess is a wonderful sport. It develops critical and strategic thinking—both are assets that are used in many different aspects of school and the workforce. It is not just an enjoyable pastime but also has great educational benefits. We are hoping to provide chess resources to every school in Bennelong, along with a single competition day for students to learn from each other and to test their abilities. I greatly look forward to seeing this project get underway next year. It is interesting to note that this came about as a result of our multicultural community. Learning chess is a mandatory extracurricular activity in Armenia, and Armenians are the great champions. This is another real example of multiculturalism at its best.

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