Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

The Rudd Labor government is committed to investing in our schools’ infrastructure and will provide $2.1 billion over four years, which is nearly double the commitment of the Investing in Our Schools Program in terms of the capacity to rebuild Australian schools. The Rudd Labor government is committed to a more targeted approach to infrastructure funding through the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program and the Digital Education Revolution. It has announced $2.5 billion over 10 years to enable secondary schools across Australia to apply for funding of between $500,000 and $1.5 million for trade training centres. The government will also invest $1 billion through the National Secondary School Computer Fund to improve secondary school student access to world-class information.

The former government decided that there would be no further funding committed to the Investing in Our Schools Program. The former government had already made that decision. On 19 February 2007 the former Prime Minister issued a press release noting that 2007 would be the final round of funding. Not only did the Howard government announce that 2007 would be the final round of funding but the former education minister, now the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, cut the amount of funding government schools would be eligible for under this program from $150,000 to $100,000. She said that after the final round of funding for state schools there would be 6,894 schools with projects approved for funding, over 99 per cent of schools in the sector. Grants totalling $779.8 million were allocated as a result of these approvals and $26 million remained unallocated. This unallocated funding of $26.1 million was returned to consolidated revenue. Accordingly, this budgetary decision precedes the election of the Labor government. The department will be working with government and non-government schools to ensure projects funded under the IOSP are satisfactorily completed and the public reporting requirements are met.