22/05/2017 

I rise to speak on the member for Hindmarsh's motion about schools and education and the good things schools are doing in our community. But it would be remiss of me not to also speak of the cuts that this government is making to schools, cuts that will bring to a halt the wonderful work they are doing for our students and our communities.

When I last spoke about this subject in February, schools in Australia were facing a 30 billion but will still be 22 billion cut to education and our schools.

In Paterson, my electorate, under the government's 'generous' new funding model the 45 schools will collectively lose more than 24 million. That is no drop in the ocean. Despite what the government is telling school principals and parents, it is a cut. It is a very real cut. The final two years of Gonski funding had been agreed to by the Turnbull government, agreed to by the states and budgeted for, most importantly, by schools. Now schools will miss out. This is from a government who says its budget is fair and full of opportunity. Is it fair that every school in my electorate of Paterson will receive funding cuts?

Let me tell you about just three schools in my electorate that have done remarkable things with their genuine Gonski funding and three schools that will be among the hardest hit by the fraudulent Gonski 2.0 and these cuts. One is Kurri Kurri High. It is my old school, in fact, and dear to my heart. It has received 1.3 million under these cuts. Imagine what they could do with that. Imagine is all we may ever get to do.

Another school making great leaps and bounds is Rutherford Public School. Rutherford Public, to date, has received 1.1 million. But that is not the worst of it. Rutherford high school, one of the most disadvantaged schools in my electorate, will lose a staggering $1.8 million in the next two years because this government does not give a hoot about young people and their education. Rutherford high runs fantastic programs, and now these students are going to miss out. Students study business services, construction, hospitality, metals and engineering, primary industries, retail services and sport coaching. These often lead to jobs with their host employer once they have finished school.

We should be talking about education, but we should be talking about properly funded education. This Gonski 2.0 is a joke, and everyone knows it. The original always will be the best.