Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to take this opportunity to outline the importance of the government’s $42 billion Nation Building and Jobs Plan to the schools in my electorate of Charlton. As is well known, the government has taken this initiative to counter the impact of the global financial crisis on the economy, families and jobs. The centrepiece of the plan is the single largest school modernisation program in our history. It is a $14.7 billion commitment to massively upgrade school infrastructure in every one of Australia’s 9,540 schools.

Each of the 64 schools in the electorate of Charlton will receive up to $200,000 for individual school communities to fund much-needed maintenance and renewal of school buildings. Each of the 53 primary schools in my electorate is eligible for up to $3 million to either build a 21st-century library or learning resources centre or build a multipurpose hall so that the whole school community can come together and use it as an indoor gymnasium, for performances or just to bring the community or the school together.

I know that the schools in my electorate already see this as a wonderful opportunity to further build on the great facilities that they have been creating. For instance, next month I will be visiting the Cardiff South Primary School to inspect the covered outdoor learning area, which is already under construction. This, however, is only stage 1 of the project at that school. As part of stage 2 of the project, the school has been able to sell some land to fund the construction of walls on the covered outdoor learning area for it to become a much-needed school hall. Kay Nicholas, the principal of the school, has indicated that the government funding announced in the Nation Building and Jobs Plan will be a wonderful contribution because the school does not actually have the money to fit out the hall and this funding will help achieve that objective. The school also needs a new canteen.

The principal of the Rathmines Primary School has been in contact with my office also. As, I think, with all primary schools, this principal, Mr Walker, has a number of projects badly in need of an injection of funds and is looking forward to working with my office and the government to bring about those projects in upgrading the infrastructure of the school.

Also, the secondary schools in Charlton—every single one of them—will be beneficiaries of the government’s computers in schools program for years 9 to 12, but those secondary schools, of course, can also apply for funding to build new science labs or language centres. These are crucially needed in my electorate. The government is spending $1 billion to provide these new facilities, and I know that every school in my electorate is keenly anticipating making an application to receive the funding.