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

The guidelines are stringent and they are clear. As the Deputy Prime Minster has shown, media hysteria about funding going to schools facing the axe has no basis in fact. The guidelines make it clear that no school planned for closure will receive funding and that the funding due to schools planned for amalgamation will be used for the new school. They impose strict obligations on state and territory governments and other block grant authorities, including an obligation to achieve value for money. They provide for close monitoring of project management costs. They require all new buildings and refurbishments to reflect sustainable building principles wherever possible and they provide for the flexible use of design templates to reduce costs and accelerate the rollout. Yet we are still here to hear from the opposition on the question: do they support these projects?