Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to compliment the Labor government’s Building the Education Revolution initiative, which has seen schools across this great nation receive much wanted and much appreciated multipurpose halls, classrooms, undercover areas, libraries and technology rooms. After 12 years of neglect, our schools now have brand new or upgraded facilities which will bring them into the 21st century. In the last six months I have been privileged to visit many schools in Queensland which benefited from the Labor government’s injection of $16.2 billion to inspect and officially open these great new facilities. Contrary to Senator Joyce’s ‘glorified garden sheds’ claim, not one was in sight. Instead, I saw big enclosed halls complete with stages, where students can play sport when the weather is inclement and can hold their graduation ceremonies, musicals and school assemblies. One school I visited can fit the entire student body in a building for the first time. I saw extended classrooms, where schools like Living Faith Lutheran Primary School can expand and become a triple stream school. I saw covered walkways at Toowong State School, under which students can walk from one building to the next without getting wet or facing sunburn. I saw new libraries and rooms full of computers, allowing every student in a class to develop their IT skills.

To me, this project has been an absolute success. For many schools I visited this funding, which was part of our $42 billion economic stimulus package, was a dream come true. Dayboro State School principal, Ms Glynnis Gartside, whose school received a multipurpose hall and a library resource centre, said that she had not seen anything like it before. At the BER opening on 14 July she said:

Firstly, we are happy. These new facilities, that we wouldn’t have even dreamed to dream of two years ago, are well built, appropriate to our needs and will serve the Dayboro community well into the future. Secondly, in my long career as a teacher with Education Queensland—this is my 39th year—I have never seen first-class facilities like these made available to primary schools unless the pressure of growth or sheer decay of existing facilities has made it absolutely necessary. It just goes to show that if you stay around long enough anything can happen.

Another school which I visited in the electorate of Dickson was Living Faith Lutheran Primary School. During the official opening of their new multipurpose hall and classroom in August, school council chairperson, Roz Cooper, said that these facilities would not otherwise have been a reality for the school for many years. She said:

We are just absolutely delighted because we couldn’t have got as high-quality or well appointment to the buildings without the funding of the state and the federal Labor governments for both this hall land our third year 1 class. Given that this is our 10th year, that would have been well down the track before we could achieve that, so we’re very, very grateful.

Of all the schools I visited, not one negative comment was made. The students and teachers are pleased with their new buildings, and the principals are thankful and delighted. Not only has this project benefited 9,500 schools in Australia; it has also kept people in jobs during the global financial crisis.

The BER was a key element of the Labor government’s $42 billion Nation Building and Jobs Plan, which aimed at supporting up to 90,000 jobs to keep Australians employed. In February 2009, $1.288 billion was allocated to 9,495 schools to renew and refurbish existing facilities under the National School Pride Program; $821.8 million was announced to fund the Science and Language Centres for 21st Century Secondary Schools, to provide state-of-the-art facilities for our schools; and $14.1 billion was allocated to Primary Schools for the 21st Century, to fund 10,656 projects in 7,961 primary schools throughout the nation. When the rest of the world heard about the financial crisis taking place in the United States, the Labor government decided to take direct action to prevent our prosperous nation from falling into a recession. The construction industry had slowed down, which meant many people would have faced the prospect of unemployment. To curb this problem and to keep Australians in jobs the Labor government turned to an economic stimulus package to boost the economy and provide vital infrastructure for our future generations. These projects have delivered new and refurbished buildings for our growing schools that have benefited not only their students but also their wider communities. Community groups will also be able to access these halls at little or no cost.

Standing in any of these fantastic facilities, the last thing that comes to mind is ‘monumental failure’, as the member for Sturt described the BER program. A media statement released by the Building the Education Revolution Taskforce, which was established to investigate and respond to complaints made about the program found:

… BER P21 is delivering quality infrastructure within the timeframe constraints set.

The statement went on:

For some of the 22 education authorities’ project costs are materially higher than would have been obtained pre-BER in a business as usual environment. For some education authorities however the costs do not appear to be higher.

Notwithstanding the validity of issues raised in the complaints which are concentrated in the NSW Government system, our overall observation is that this Australia wide program is delivering much needed infrastructure to school communities while achieving the primary goal of economic activity across the nation.

The project was a highly positive initiative for our nation and achieved what was intended by the Labor government. It kept people in jobs, it stimulated the economy and it provided quality new infrastructure for our schools.

Another school which was delighted with their new buildings was Chevallum State School. During the BER opening in August, a poem was read by a student, Penny, which voiced the school’s delight. I would like to share the poem with those in the chamber this evening and those listening:

The Building Education Revolution

Has created answers and been a solution

In enhancing and complementing our existing facilities

It will boost our student learning abilities

Our new hall is the heart of our education

Upholding Chevallum’s high achieving reputation

Parades and performing arts, we do

Ceremonies and concerts, to name a few

When multi-age prep comes to town

There is now more space to move around

Lots more area for think and play

Children negotiating and having their say

The space is open and bright

It’s easier to construct, read, problem solve and write

The new library is a place of quiet and peace

As you read your brain will surely feast

With nooks and crannies and personal space

You can curl up against a bookcase

A central place for all to meet

Computer labs where one can take a seat

For readers and others it’s a second home

If you come here you’re never alone

Our new teaching kitchen is a diverse learning space

Lifelong learning skills students will embrace

We work in a safe, hygienic and efficient way

Preparing a variety of meals from the garden to gourmet

The Building Education Revolution

Has created answers and been a solution

In enhancing and complementing our existing facilities

It will boost our student learning abilities.

It is clear not only from that poem but also from the other feedback that I have received in attending BER openings that the Building the Education Revolution is a successful program which has delivered 21st century facilities to schools across the nation, kept people in jobs and boosted our economy. Our students now have new halls, new computers and an even more prosperous future ahead, thanks to a Labor government.