Mr ROBERT COOMBS (Swansea) [3.38 p.m.]: I move:

That this House:

(1) welcomes the record $14.7 billion investment in education in the New South Wales budget, including new classrooms, halls and gyms at schools across the State; and

(2) calls on the Opposition to get behind the investment in jobs for local tradespeople and better schools for New South Wales students.

The Rees Government is investing a record amount of money in education and training in this State, delivering a world-class education system for students in our schools and TAFE institutes. In fact, last week's State budget delivered a massive injection of $14.7 billion for education in 2009-10 in recognition of the high priority the Rees Government places on giving our young people the best possible start for the future. My electorate of Swansea was a beneficiary in this budget. Seven local schools are set to receive funding, including a major investment of $4.2 million at Floraville Public School. This money will enable the current upgrade to continue, including the provision of new administration facilities, a new library, community hall, six classrooms and two special programs rooms.

Four other schools—Belmont North Public School, Jewells Primary School, Belmont High School and Swansea Public School—will each receive $120,000 to upgrade bathroom facilities. Nords Wharf Public School will receive $55,000 for a roof upgrade as part of the Principals Priority Building Program and Jewells Primary School will receive a further $100,000 to upgrade its stormwater system under the same program. All of these funding commitments by the Rees Government are very welcome in the seat of Swansea and will greatly benefit students, teachers and other school staff for years to come.

The Rees Government can rightly be proud of delivering an education budget that will deliver tangible benefits for school communities across the State. Expenditure on school infrastructure is at record levels. The New South Wales Government's capital expenditure on schools is up 22 per cent on last year, and capital spending for our TAFE facilities is up 54 per cent. In addition, 17 major new building projects in schools and 13 in TAFEs will begin thanks to this year's budget, which will ensure that major multi-year building works can continue at another 38 schools and 26 TAFE colleges. A record $440 million has also been allocated for school maintenance, with more than $1 billion of maintenance works scheduled over the next four years. All of this complements the massive contribution that the Federal Labor Government is making to our schools through the historic Building the Education Revolution program.

The Rees Government's 2009-10 budget has delivered funding for the implementation of the new school leaving age. The New South Wales Parliament passed this landmark reform last month. From next year, all students in this State must remain at school until the end of year 10. After completing year 10, any student under the age of 17 years who wants to leave school will have to undertake another form of education, an apprenticeship or paid employment. This major reform is about creating a flexible, skilled and educated workforce. In addition, $25 million will be provided over five years for new capital infrastructure to support the change in leaving age with a further $100 million per annum to pay for teachers and counsellors to support the additional students.

I could refer to many examples to highlight the Rees Government's commitment to the educational system in this State. In April, Premier Nathan Rees announced that Sydney would host the headquarters for the new Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. The budget provides $4 million in recurrent funding each year over four years for the nation's first national curriculum authority. Locating the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority in Sydney means that we can play an integral role by sharing our expertise, experience and resources in curriculum development and assessment. This is a major coup for our city and excellent recognition of our outstanding record of curriculum development, and our testing and reporting processes.

I now turn to a few other examples of what this education budget will deliver. The budget has allocated $33.2 million over four years for extra mentoring and class preparation time for beginning teachers and $117.4 million to keep expanding the Best Start literacy and numeracy initiative for kindergarten students to every New South Wales school over the next four years. In a new initiative, the Rees Government will allocate $2.25 million of new funding over four years to establish four bi-lingual primary schools to provide intensive primary school teaching in priority Asian languages. Students will be immersed in the languages for 1½ hours each school day from as early as kindergarten. Research shows that the best way to learn a second language and to master fluency is to start early. This is about preparing the future workforce to be fluent in key Asian languages including Mandarin, Korean, Japanese and Indonesian.

The Rees Government's massive investment in information technology for our students is further supported by this budget. This includes its ongoing rollout of the New South Wales Connected Classrooms initiative, which is delivering interactive whiteboards, videoconferencing facilities and online learning tools to every New South Wales public school. This initiative will continue with $47 million in capital and recurrent funding to be provided in 2009-10. Let us not forget our TAFE institutes. The Government's commitment to TAFE and other vocational education and training programs will receive an increase of $104 million on the previous financial year, with almost $2 billion in recurrent funding committed next financial year. The Learn or Earn initiative will benefit from a further $86 million over the next four years, including $21 million in 2009-10 in recurrent and capital funding to provide more than 5,800 extra training places at TAFE New South Wales and 15 additional trade schools.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON (Burrinjuck) [3.45 p.m.]: This is an interesting motion. It calls on the Opposition to get behind investment in jobs for local tradespeople. It is extraordinary that the Government would move such a motion when, time and again, local firms in regional New South Wales that have been bypassed and railroaded approach members of the Opposition. Dozens of schools have contacted us to express their concern about the way in which Federal Government stimulus funds are being spent. The Liberal-Nationals welcome any additional funds being spent on public schools in this State. However, we are very concerned that a lot of that money will be wasted. Up to half of it could be lost in management fees and departmental bureaucracy.

Ms Verity Firth: That is not true.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: It is little wonder that school communities are concerned about the use of the stimulus funds, given New South Wales Labor's terrible record of delivering infrastructure projects. The Minister can scoff, but she will not even find $129,000 to prevent the closure of Bellhaven Special School in Young—less than the cost of one of her advisers. She should not scoff. To illustrate my point, I will quote from a couple of letters I have received from Design West, an architectural firm in Cowra. Karen Gay writes:

We are a small firm of Architects operating from an office in Cowra, in your electorate.

We have been in business for the past 20 years and have completed projects in Orange, Parkes, Forbes, Canowindra, Grenfell, Young and Cootamundra, with numerous works in Cowra. The most recent being the refurbishments of the Cowra Civic Centre—a Project of some $1.5 million and Grenfell Community Hub—a Project of $1.2 million.

I have visited both sites. They are fantastic centres and the pride of those communities. The letter continues:

We have also worked with the Catholic Education Office and Building Committees from local schools—including the Cowra High School shade structure, the opening of which you attended.

We are concerned that the consulting work for the BER Project is not being spread fairly around the State.

Our community has been in a state of depression for several years and Projects like these would certainly boost the local economy.

At least six local schools have been allocated substantial funds for building projects and in spite of our company being registered with the Department of Education (BER site) the Architectural documentation has been awarded to large city architectural firms from Sydney and Wollongong.

How local is that to Cowra? The letter goes on:

Could something be done to spread any future work around the state more equitably as there are many local firms more than capable of carrying out the required standard of work.

I received another letter from Design West earlier this month, which states:

In today's Cowra Guardian there is an article stating that ... Mulyan School Cowra will be receiving $1.7 million for new Administration Facilities in the next stage of the School Infrastructure Project.

then a further $800,000 for a new canteen.

I cannot wait to see the new canteen. The letter continues:

Woodstock Public School $250,000 for a new Library
Holmwood Public School $250,000 for a new Library
Greenthorpe Public School $250,000 for a new Cola

That is going to be one smack-bang covered outdoor learning area! I went to the opening of a covered outdoor learning area in Adjungbilly that cost $4,000. A covered outdoor learning that costs $250,000 will be amazing. It must have air conditioning. The letter continues:

All these schools are within 30 minutes of this office.

We have an Architect, a Building Designer, CAD draftsman, a Structural Engineer and a Surveyor working from this office and a proven track record with all these types of buildings.

My question is

After my letter last week—

that is the letter I read first—

regarding the fact that no local contractors had received any work from round one of the BER Project, will the local Consultants and Building Contractors be able to Tender for Services on one or more of these Projects in round two?

This is but one of dozens of local firms, and I quoted that example for the sake of this debate. That is only one of dozens of representations that various members of the Opposition—and I am sure Government members—have received. We are experiencing the worst drought in Australia's history in western New South Wales, on the central slopes and in the Southern Tablelands. This Government is so Sydney-centric or metro-centric that it does not recognise the extremely experienced, competent, capable and qualified professionals who are working in rural and regional New South Wales. The example I gave of Design West shows that those competent architects are capable of constructing large projects such as the Cowra Civic Centre, which will cost about $1.5 million, and they are capable of doing it well, yet they are being totally bypassed by this out-of-touch city-centric Government when applying for funds to build projects in their own communities.

Karen Gay said in her letters that her office is only 30 minutes away from the proposed buildings or structures. The local companies that work in the Central West know the area better than anyone, yet this Government is telling them, "Do not worry about it. You live west of the Great Dividing Range. You do not know anything. You do not know how to build buildings. We will bring in Laing O'Rourke, a head contractor, who will probably charge 5 per cent to 10 per cent per construction." Ten per cent of a construction project worth $5 million is $500,000. That head contractor is located in North Sydney, which begs the question—

Ms Verity Firth: You are lying.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: The Minister for Education and Training says that I am lying. I have a letter dated 5 June from Wyangala Dam Public School. The principal wrote to Design West and said:

I refer to your telephone conversation with Lynne Redman today. I advise that Laing O'Rourke is the managing company that will be overseeing construction of our cola ... I advise their contact address so that you may liaise with them direct.

Laing O'Rourke
Development and Building
PO Box 1505
NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2059

That is the truth. The member for Lismore, who will speak in debate on this motion, raised this issue, and it has also been raised by the shadow Minister for Education and Training, the member for Murrumbidgee. Opposition members appreciate that funds are being provided for their schools, but they would like those funds to be spent in the local area so that local firms can reap the benefits rather than being ripped off, thanks to the incompetence of this State Labor Government. [Time expired.]

Ms ANGELA D'AMORE (Drummoyne—Parliamentary Secretary) [3.52 p.m.]: I congratulate the Government on its record spend on education, which was announced in last week's budget. This budget contains a 21.6 per cent increase in State Government funding for capital works in our schools, and a massive 53.7 per cent in our TAFE colleges. As the member for Swansea said earlier, that includes 17 major new building projects in schools and 13 at TAFE institutes. Those capital work projects are in addition to those that the Commonwealth Government announced recently under the Building the Education Revolution program.

In my electorate of Drummoyne, four schools will benefit from this increased State spending in capital and minor works. That includes projects such as those in the Principals Priority Building Program—a $150 million program of more than 500 minor works across the State announced in the mini-budget—that have been identified as the number one priority for school principals. These significant projects, which will ensure that schools are running smoothly, include the upgrading of toilets, the construction of new security fences, and the replacing of roofs. In the Drummoyne electorate, three schools will benefit next year from projects under the Principals Priority Building Program. Next year's budget includes $350,000 to upgrade toilets at Strathfield North Public School—one of the larger schools in my electorate—$230,000 for a roof replacement at Drummoyne Public School, and $200,000 for a roof upgrade at Concord High School.

This financial year the Principals Priority Building Program funded two projects in my electorate: new security fences at Concord Public School and at Lucas Gardens School. I thank members of the relevant parents and citizens associations for their excellent work in highlighting those priorities. I know that the Abbotsford Public School community will also be pleased about the news in last week's budget that it will get a new covered outdoor learning area in 2009-10, worth $100,000. Only two weeks ago I attended a meeting of that parents and citizens association, so it is great news that we have been able to deliver on a priority project highlighted by the principal and by the parents and citizens association.

The Rees Government's record education budget includes funding of $2.25 million over the next four years for the new bilingual school initiative—an initiative about which my electorate will be very interested. That funding will enable four primary schools to offer a bilingual education to their students in Mandarin, Korean, Japanese and Indonesian—all key languages. I have a significant and growing Korean community in my electorate and I know that they will welcome this injection of funds. Students will learn one of the languages for 1½ hours each school day. Schools will apply to join the program, and the first four bilingual schools will be announced in the near future. As Asia is on our doorstep, this program is vital to the future economic and social prosperity of New South Wales. I am proud to be part of a Government that embraces such forward thinking about how to prepare our children for closer engagement with Asia economically, socially and culturally. The Rees Government's record $14.7 billion education budget is a true Labor budget and a genuine commitment to creating opportunities for our kids, our economy, and society.

Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [3.55 p.m.]: I speak in debate on the motion accorded priority that was moved by the member for Swansea. I am tired of coming into this place and hearing Government members continually criticising Opposition members for not supporting a number of different proposals. However, when Opposition members support this Government's proposals they are ridiculed. All members, whether they are fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles or aunties, want their communities to benefit from work opportunities in their areas, and all members appreciate improvements to educational institutions in their electorates.

Government members state day after day that Opposition members are against their proposals when that could not be further from the truth. On many occasions I have said in this House that the schools in my electorate are not getting value for money. I have also referred to the problems being experienced by Wyrallah Road Public School, so it is good to see the Minister for Education and Training in the Chamber. All members of Parliament—Government, Opposition and Independent members—strive to improve their electorates and to get value for money. Every job in country and regional areas is important.

For some time now the Wyrallah Road Public School Parents and Citizens Association has been negotiating with the Department of Education and Training to have the demountables at that school replaced. The deal was almost finalised and the department told the school that the replacement of the demountables would cost $2 million. The Federal Government allocated the money, which was much appreciated, but the cost then escalated to $3 million. Two of the parents in the parents and citizens association, who work for a major building company that performs a lot of government contracts in Lismore, believed that the demountables could be replaced at a cost of $1.2 million to $1.3 million. Immediately they were told, "You will have to assume responsibility for everything."

Independent schools are getting much better value for their dollar than public schools in regional New South Wales are getting. Casino West School was located in my electorate but it is now in the electorate of the member for Clarence, who is not in the Chamber. It has been told that it will receive a new school hall—which it has been waiting 10 years for. Teachers and students were excited at the prospect of getting a new school hall and the local newspaper featured a front-page article informing the community about this new project. However, Casino West School has since found out that the hall will be only half the size that is required to cater for students. We want value for money in our electorates. I assure Government members that Opposition members are not against receiving money for their electorates, especially to ensure additional educational benefits for our children.

Ms MARIE ANDREWS (Gosford) [3.58 p.m.]: The Rees Labor Government believes in education. Education is core business for this Government, as it should be for our children, our society and our economy. Throughout 2009-10 the Government will spend a record $14.7 billion on education in New South Wales. This Government's substantial investment in education infrastructure will not only result in new and improved facilities in our schools but create valuable jobs for families in our local communities. In 2009-10 we are building or upgrading school and TAFE facilities with $560 million in State Government funding, including the start of 17 major new building projects in schools, 13 in the TAFE sector and increased investment in information technology. We are also spending $440 million on public school and TAFE maintenance—including the Principals Priority Building Program, with expenditure of more than $1 billion scheduled over the next four years to improve physical school environments for our kids and support jobs across New South Wales.

In my electorate of Gosford, it means an investment of more than $26 million in local schools. This includes a toilet upgrade at Ettalong Public School; sewerage and stormwater upgrades as part of the Principals Priority Building Program commitment at Brisbane Water Secondary College, Woy Woy, Gosford East Public School and Kulnura Public School; and roof upgrades, also as part of the Principals Priority Building Program commitment, at Central Mangrove Public School, Peats Ridge Public School and Woy Woy Public School. Most significantly, this also includes provision for a brand-new school in my area, Kariong Mountains High School.

On top of all this, New South Wales will deliver the Commonwealth's $1.98 billion Building the Education Revolution program in 2009-10, creating jobs and providing new halls, classrooms, libraries, science laboratories and language centres throughout the State. Delivering new facilities like this for our children demonstrates the New South Wales Government's commitment to quality education in the Gosford region. We are creating greater opportunities and choices for the young people of New South Wales. It is this philosophy, this focus on building opportunity for the next generation, and this belief in learning in the classroom, in the workshop or on the job that underpins our Government's historic school leaving age legislation. We are backing our commitment to raise the school leaving age from 2009-10 by committing $25 million over five years for new infrastructure—including new classrooms—on top of an investment in staff and other recurrent costs that will increase to around $100 million. We all know that students who stay longer at school generally get higher wages, have less unemployment throughout their lives and are more likely to do further study. I commend the motion to the House.

Mr ROBERT COOMBS (Swansea) [4.01 p.m.], in reply: I thank the members for Burrinjuck, Drummoyne, Lismore and Gosford for their contributions to the debate. That is appreciated. The member for Burrinjuck and the member for Lismore had some concerns about the capacity or ability of local contractors, local tradespeople and small businesses and companies to get involved in the infrastructure program. I say with respect, especially to the member for Burrinjuck, that a bit of initiative is required. I had similar concerns so I contacted the asset manager from the Department of Education and Training for my area. He in turn got hold of the managing contractors who had been allocated work in the area, and we had a seminar. We invited along the local contractors and businesses that would like to tender for work so they could learn how to participate in the process. I think we will get a result from the seminar, now that local contractors have been educated about what application forms to fill in and the scope of the work required to get the jobs.

The member for Lismore asked whether our schools are getting value for money. If principals feel they are not getting value for money, they can manage the projects themselves. The Department of Education and Training has set up a training program to ensure that principals have the expertise to participate in the competitive tendering process and pick the best and cheapest contractor who offers the best value for money so they can be satisfied that they are getting good value. I hope that addresses the member's concerns. The provisions for the managing contractors put the onus on them to provide work for local contractors. The New South Wales Government is clearly leading the charge when it comes to delivering resources for our students, teachers and the wider community. While our record speaks for itself, the New South Wales Opposition is yet to reveal its plan for education in this State. I commend the motion to the House.

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put and resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Matthew Morris): Order! The motions accorded priority having concluded, the House will now consider General Business Orders of the Day (for Bills.)