Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

Labor is the party of education. The Albanese Labor government is building the education infrastructure we need in my electorate and building a better and fairer education system from preschool to tertiary.

This month I was delighted to open upgrades to two schools in Blair that were funded under the second round of the Albanese government's Schools Upgrade Fund. The first project involved $800,000 for Riverview State School, in the eastern suburbs of Ipswich, to refurb old classrooms and staffrooms and install improved learning and teaching spaces, including storage and sinks, and new technology, including smartboards.

The second capital upgrade involved $850,000 for a new custom amenities block at Linville State School, a little country school in the northern Somerset region, which has delivered modern facilities to ensure students' health and safety needs are met. The new amenities block, with facilities for staff and access for students with disabilities, is appropriately elevated to avoid local reptilian fauna. It was wonderful to see firsthand what a difference the funding is making to these schools and to hear from staff and students about just how proud they are of the facilities.

It's all part of our commitment to build a better and fairer education system. It builds on our landmark schools funding agreement with the Queensland government to provide a record $2.8 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to Queensland state schools over the next 10 years, all tied to reforms to lift education standards.

When it comes to early education, our government is also investing in the needs of my local community. In April, I was delighted to join the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Senator the Hon. Jess Walsh, to announce $9 million for a new early learning service in Rosewood, in a rural part of Ipswich, to improve access to quality early education and child care in this fast-growing country town just outside the Ipswich CBD. The new service will be built at Rosewood State School to help local families avoid the double drop-off in the morning—and in the afternoon, I might add—and help students to make a smoother transition to school. Only three in 10 students living in Rosewood get access to this kind of education before they go to school, so this will make a big difference to those children. It's part of an almost $45 million package for five new early learning services across Queensland.

Of course, this complements the Albanese Labor government's $3.6 billion investment—announced just last week—to lock in an historic 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood educators for the next two years, building on an initial pay rise in 2024. It goes to show that Labor is the party of education.

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