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

Building the Education Revolution is a program which actually provides support to schools right across the country—some 9½ thousand schools. A quarter of a million teachers will be able to benefit from this program by being able to do their job more effectively, and 3½ million primary and secondary students will directly benefit from this program. There is a situation where the Commonwealth is now funding some 20,000 infrastructure projects.

It was, of course, necessary for the Commonwealth to work closely with the states to ensure that the states and territories and block grant authorities actually deliver that program to the individual schools. We are working very closely with the schools and with the states and territories to ensure that the largest single modernisation program in the nation’s history was delivered and that the tendering process involved in this multibillion dollar stimulus program was a competitive one which drives the process of ensuring value for money.

I have also indicated to the Senate on numerous occasions that the Building the Education Revolution guidelines outline the fact that the states, territories and block grant authorities are required to report monthly on the activities that they have undertaken in their projects, and that the schools and local communities are able to obtain maximum benefit from these important infrastructure investments by working with the states and territories and, if necessary, directly with the Commonwealth. The implementation of the Building the Education Revolution— (Time expired)