Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Government Service Delivery, Senator Arbib. I refer the minister to the Australian Technical College - Spencer Gulf and Outback, which received a $75,000 grant under the Building the Education Revolution program to extend a shed, despite parents and students at the school being told that this Australian technical college will be closed. Will the minister explain how a grant of $75,000 to extend a shed that will soon be demolished is an appropriate use of taxpayers’ hard-earned money?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the good senator for the opportunity to talk about the Australian Technical College - Spencer Gulf and Outback and about Building the Education Revolution. As I put on the record yesterday, there are 24,000 projects across the country and 9½ thousand schools will receive major upgrades and new infrastructure, creating jobs for tradespeople and jobs for small business. That is what Building the Education Revolution is about.

With regard to the Australian Technical College - Spencer Gulf and Outback, I inform the Senate that the college received $75,000 under the NSP project for the expansion of a storage facility for tools and equipment at their Port Pirie campus. The South Australian Catholic Education Authority has advised that the future of the ATC is in doubt and that the BER funding has been frozen until a decision is made. The principal advises that no funds have been spent by the school to date.

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

Was that in the Australian?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the school is taken over by someone else or if it closes, the education authority has agreed to return the BER money to the Commonwealth.

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

That wasn’t in the Australian, either.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is extremely important when we are dealing with the Building the Education Revolution Program to always check the facts. Many times Senator Mason has come in here and made claims about schools and many times we have gone away and checked those claims and found that they were incorrect.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

10000 PRESIDENT, The 1The PRESIDENT—Order! When there is order on both sides, we will proceed.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Always check the facts when Senator Mason is quoting about schools; always check the facts when the Liberal Party is quoting about schools. We know they oppose 9½ thousand schools across the country, including in all their electorates, getting this funding. (Time expired)

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer the minister to Annangrove Public School, which has received $850,000 under the Building the Education Revolution program. Why was this school’s request for a school hall ignored and their eighth ranked priority, a school library, which they already have, forced upon them? Is this another example of state and Commonwealth bureaucracies forcing schools to spend their grants on ill-suited building templates?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Mason has worked very hard on this question. He has done a great deal of research. He rolled out of bed this morning and picked up the newspaper and said, ‘Oh my goodness, I think I’ve got a story for question time!’ The Liberal Party has been up to a great deal of research. Well done, Senator Mason! I am happy to advise the Senate and the Liberal Party that the Annangrove Public School has been allocated $850,000 under the P21 program for a new library. I am also happy to advise the Senate that that was agreed to by the school’s principal. Information was reported in the press this morning that was incorrect. The New South Wales Department of Education and Training advises that the quote of $285,000 was for the construction of the building only and did not include other elements of the project such as design, site investigation, planning, surveying, engineering, administration, management, water connection or power connection. (Time expired)

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer the minister to Colbinabbin Primary School, which will receive $600,000 under the Building the Education Revolution program and is being forced to build a template hall and, in the process, to dismantle recent upgrades that were funded by the community through cake stalls, raffles and fetes. Can the minister guarantee that this school will be able to use its BER grant and keep the upgrades that the school community has worked so hard to secure?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, Senator Mason opened up the newspaper and found a story. A great deal of research went into that one, Senator Mason. Unfortunately for Senator Mason, the information reported is, again, not accurate. What a surprise, Senator Mason! Colbinabbin Primary School received funding of $600,000, which was approved under P21, for the construction of new classrooms—not a multipurpose hall, as reported. That is advice from the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The school and local community requested a new classroom—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Arbib, Senator Mason is entitled to hear your answer. Those on your right, next to you, need to be quiet so that the answer can be heard.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, always check the facts when you are dealing with Senator Mason; always check the facts when you are dealing with the Liberal Party. What is the Liberal Party’s plan for schools? They want to roll back the stimulus package. And what will that mean? Tell us, Senator Mason. Tell us which schools will lose their funding. Tell us which schools in your electorate, in Queensland, you will take funding away from, because that is what you intend. (Time expired)