Mr MOSSFIELD (11:27 AM) —I rise to speak on the States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance) Amendment Bill 2003. This bill amends the States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance) Act 2000 to provide additional funding of $41.8 million for capital grants for non-government schools for the years 2004-07 and additional funding for school literacy and numeracy programs and projects for the years 2003-04. I also support the amendments moved by the shadow minister for education, the member for Jagajaga.

Of course, when the government describe this as `additional' funding, they are, as usual, not being wholly accurate. The funding level for capital works programs in 2003 is $87.4 million. The funding for 2004 and beyond is $76.94 million, a reduction of $10.46 million per year which, of course, adds up over a four-year period to—you guessed it—$41.8 million, the exact figure of additional money contained in this bill. So in fact it is not additional money but maintenance of the current level of funding. It is a bit like those rug sales that you see advertised until midnight on a Sunday, in which they double the price of the rug and give you a 50 per cent discount so that it sounds like you are getting a really good deal. In this case, the government have cut the funding for capital works and have then come to the rescue with their generous offer of exactly what the schools were getting before. This bill also does nothing to address the need for capital expenditure in government schools. As with all things educational, the government focus on the private sector, to the detriment of government schools.

There are a number of concerns with this bill. Accountability is very important wherever the taxpayer dollar is spent. Unfortunately, with this bill public scrutiny, particularly with regard to the needs criteria, is unclear and lacks transparency. The additional funding provided for high-fee schools under the Commonwealth general recurrent program could lead to increased capital investment in these schools. This will lead to an increased resource gap between the high-fee schools and other government and non-government schools.

Many of our public schools are quite old. They need a massive injection of funding for urgent upgrading. If members have dealings with their local primary school, they will be aware of the example of the electricity grid. Much of the wiring is as old as the schools—that is, 40 or 50 years old. The electricity requirements of our schools have drastically changed since many of these schools were built. Our local principal recently pointed out that the school desperately needed airconditioning for the classrooms. The comfort of the students is important for getting good educational outcomes. When you have stifling hot classrooms, lessons suffer. But it will cost some $40,000 to upgrade the wiring to cope with the airconditioning.

At other schools around the country, the choice is airconditioning or computers. They cannot turn on both at the same time. The money contained in this bill is welcomed for what it is—a relatively small amount for capital funding for private schools—but it could have been much more, certainly for those private schools catering to low-income areas, many of which I represent. Our schools are in desperate need of a massive injection of funds for capital works. Yes, it is a state government responsibility, but it is more than that. It is a national problem which exists not just in New South Wales but also in all the other states and territories. It is a national issue that requires national leadership.

People should remember that every time the government cut taxes for multinational companies they cut their ability to fund education, they cut their ability to fund hospitals and they cut their ability to fund the future infrastructure needs of our nation. Education infrastructure is a foundation stone upon which our future will be built. If a child fails to learn because it is too hot to concentrate, his or her future, as well as that of our country, will suffer. Unless we harness the full potential of all our citizens, we as a nation cannot reach our potential. Education is the foundation. Without adequate resources for our schools we will have children not reaching their full potential.

Recently I was privileged to present the Australian student prize to six Greenway residents. As members will know, the Australian government recognises the top 500 students in the nation with this prize. To have six students in my community considered to be among the very best is a wonderful result. All six, I might add, were products of our public education system. They all went to selective high schools, but prior to that they attended public schools in the electorate of Greenway. Selective high schools produce good education outcomes, but I want to see ordinary public high schools getting the same resources and to see a few names from those schools on the list of outstanding achievers. Professor Vinson of the University of New South Wales has conducted an inquiry into the standards of schools. In July last year he said:

The New South Wales government has committed over $1 billion to upgrade school infrastructure over the next few years. This is a good start. The federal government must come to the party and help out as well, not just in New South Wales but all around the country.

Another issue of concern with this bill is that we do not know whether the facilities supported by public funding for specific purposes are still being used for educational purposes. There is no information available on how many of these properties have been sold, leased or transferred for non-educational purposes. We do not know, for instance, if some school authorities have made capital gains on facilities that have received public funds. As the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said in her speech, this is a potentially scandalous state of affairs. The member for Jagajaga went on to point out that there is very little information on the kinds of projects being supported by public funds and that there is no way to tell from the official reporting on the legislation that is provided to the parliament under the act.

The latest report on the States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance) Act provides a half--page description of the total funding available and the way this is distributed to non-government schools through block grant authorities. After that it is just a one-line report on the total funding for non-government schools in each state and territory. There is no information about the range of projects supported by the program, the education priorities being promoted by federal funding or the education outcomes that have been produced. Without more detailed information, neither the government nor the public can make judgments on how to best position capital grants for the future.

This bill allows members to speak about the strengths and weaknesses of the education system in their electorate. It allows us to highlight the contribution that parents, teachers and staff are making to schools in their community. I am always delighted to meet with school children from my electorate who visit Parliament House. I am often intrigued by the many questions that they ask. One interesting question that was thrown at me was: `Do you have to be intelligent to be a member of parliament?' I should have been able to answer that fairly easily, but it was interesting to note that question.

We do meet children from our own schools at prize presentation functions and many other functions. It is always regrettable that at this time of the year so many of these presentations are held when parliament is sitting, so we cannot attend as many as we would like. But there is a genuine interest amongst schoolchildren as to who their representatives are and where they come from. They are often quite surprised to learn that we live in the electorate, in many cases only a stone's throw from where they go to school. So our contact with the students from our schools is very important.

We continue to see the P&Cs very active—which is also a very important involvement—with many activities, such as sausage sizzles, fetes, cake stalls, trivia nights and that sort of thing, to fundraise for their particular school. These fundraising activities help to pay for literacy and numeracy programs, books, uniforms, teaching aids, blinds, airconditioning, excursions, bus hire, musical instruments, shelters, seating, footpaths and a whole host of other vital equipment. At a trivia night held recently at Quakers Hill East Public School in my electorate, the P&C raised some $3,000 that will go to provide shelter for an outdoor learning area. From all accounts it was a great evening, and those who put it together should be congratulated on their efforts. Kings Langley Public School, another school in my electorate, was the fourth highest fundraiser in New South Wales for the year 2000, raising around $60,000. But many schools struggle in this regard, resulting in a growing divide between the haves and the have-nots—and that cannot be good for educational outcomes.

Class sizes are another concern in our school system. Writing in an article in the Australian earlier this year, Christopher Bantick, an experienced schoolteacher, said:

But we should not focus on violence in schools, because we also see some magnificent extracurricular activities that require an amazing joint effort by the school community—parents, teachers, students and staff. One such activity is the annual smoke-free rock eisteddfod held at the Entertainment Centre that combines the musical talent, the production skills and the imagination of school communities. I was delighted that this year schools from the Greenway electorate—Terra Sancta College and St Andrew's College—were premier division grand finalists of this event.

Of course, with our education system there are many difficulties to be faced by students and staff. One growing problem is the need for teachers to become security officers and playground supervisors. Not only must teachers respond to the new school syllabus, the roll-out of thousands of computers, more paperwork and soaring social problems among students; they also have playground duty, marking and lesson preparation, road safety, drama performances et cetera. This creates enormous pressure on the teaching staff of our education system.

Clearly there is a need for education policy makers to relieve qualified teachers of non-core education activities such as playground duty to enable them to respond more directly to the education needs of their students. There needs to be an investment in the support mechanisms for teachers, such as more teachers' assistants and more general support staff. We must also encourage more young people into the profession. This is a major area of concern, with some 25 per cent of teachers due to retire in the next five years.

But, with all these difficulties, we are seeing some amazing successes in our education profession. I recently attended the Wyndham business breakfast at Wyndham College, where local businesspeople received a report on the school-to-work program of the college. Wyndham College is one of the success stories of the New South Wales education system. Established in 1999 as a comprehensive high school, Wyndham College enrols students in years 11 and 12 within the Nirimba collegiate group of schools. The college draws students from years 7 to 10 from the Quakers Hill, Riverstone and Seven Hills high schools. Situated in the Nirimba education precinct, Wyndham College is co-located with the University of Western Sydney, Nirimba College of TAFE and Terra Sancta College senior campus. The unique co-location arrangement allows Wyndham to share facilities with these other institutions and gain the maximum educational benefits for the students.

Being a new college has also meant that many of Wyndham's facilities are state of the art. Unfortunately, Wyndham is the exception rather than the rule. Many schools do not have the resources available to them. This bill is welcome in that it provides some money to some schools for a little bit of work. But so much more is needed, and the federal government must take the lead and provide the support to our schools that will result in better education outcomes for future generations.

This bill provides $43 million for literacy and numeracy programs over the next two years. This too is welcome—but again, like Oliver, I would say, `Please sir, I want some more.' Literacy and numeracy are so incredibly important to our future; it cannot be understated. The first week of September was National Literacy Week, and the government issued excellence awards to some 74 schools around the nation. Parklea Public School in the Greenway electorate was one of the 15 schools in New South Wales that received an achievement award of $2,000. I would like to place on record my congratulations on the excellent work that is being done at Parklea and indeed in other schools in the community in this very vital area. It is good to see the hard work recognised.

Labor will support this bill, but it is my belief that it represents another lost opportunity to invest in the education infrastructure that is so desperately needed to build the foundation of our country's future. As I indicated, the member for Jagajaga will move an amendment, which I think is very appropriate. The amendment reads:

That is an area that I have been speaking about. With those reservations, the Labor Party will be supporting this legislation.