Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about some matters of concern to the people in my electorate of Kingston. Over the last two weeks we have seen from the opposition a budget response which was less than adequate to my local electors. First of all, we have seen the opposition propose to discontinue the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program brought in by this government. This is very, very concerning to my local electors because a lot of young people have expressed to me and their parents that they do not necessarily want to find a traditional path to university but want to upskill and get a trade. The trade training centres announced and started to be delivered by this government would be put at jeopardy if the coalition was to get re-elected. It is particularly concerning to the schools in my electorate, especially those that were announced in round 2, where they have been promised and have committed to trade training centres but have to meet certain requirements and milestones to get ongoing money.

The coalition have said that, if they were to be elected, they would discontinue this program and there would be no money in the forward estimates. The schools in my electorate have got together to coordinate some really top quality trades training. Mount Compass has put together a program, along with Hallett Cove R-12 School, Reynella East High School, Willunga High School and Wirreanda High School. There has been huge uncertainty in the electorate because of the threat by the coalition to discontinue this project.

But this is not the only project that the coalition have said they would discontinue in what has been become known as the pass-the-parcel budget reply. They have also said that they will cut the Building the Education Revolution program. This has been a very popular program in my electorate. It has delivered incredibly important infrastructure, whether it be a multipurpose hall, a library or classrooms, to the southern suburbs of Adelaide. They have needed investment in infrastructure and this project has done that. But, as we have heard, the coalition will discontinue this project if they are elected. This puts in jeopardy the building program at Flaxmill Junior Primary School, Reynella East Junior Primary School, St John the Apostle’s School, St Martin de Porres School and Hackham South Primary School, just to name a few.

This is a serious issue in education that the schools in my electorate are facing. But the coalition have not just said they will discontinue the Building the Education Revolution or the trade training centres. They have also said they will discontinue the digital education revolution. Once again, this program which the Rudd government committed to in opposition and which it is delivering in government has provided over 120,000 kids across Australia with laptop computers. Many schools have received their first and second rounds of computers and are waiting for the final round to be delivered to ensure that they reach a 1:1 ratio. But we have heard from the coalition that they will discontinue this program. Schools in my electorate that are still waiting for the next round of computers include Southern Vales Christian College, Woodcroft College, Willunga, Waldorf School, Tatachilla Lutheran College, Cardijn College, Christies Beach High School and Reynella East—the list goes on. They will not get the same technological IT benefits that other schools have been getting delivered in the electorate if the coalition are elected.

The coalition pose a real threat to the education of my community. I know in my electorate that schools and school communities have welcomed these education programs. For the first time in many, many years, a government gets elected and delivers real educational outcomes for the students in the southern suburbs of Adelaide and the coalition pose a true threat to these programs.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It being 10 pm, the debate is interrupted.