Mrs ELLIOT (Minister for Ageing) (9:33 AM) —I am very pleased today to speak about the Rudd government’s major investment in education in the electorate of Richmond and what a difference it is making to local students and families. Recently, Southern Cross University’s new Gold Coast Campus, at the Gold Coast airport, was opened. It was wonderful to have the Deputy Prime Minister at the opening. Of course, the Rudd government contributed more than $7.7 million for the foundation building for this new university campus. The campus will support students studying courses in business, tourism, law, health and allied health, and by 2012 the campus will be home to about 2,000 students and more than 130 staff. That is great news for families on the North Coast and on the southern Gold Coast. It is wonderful that have this new campus. What is also great in the electorate of Richmond is that 90 local schools are receiving funding under the National School Pride Program, 80 primary schools are receiving new infrastructure under the Primary Schools for the 21st Century program and three new science and language centres are being constructed.

The Rudd government is making an investment of more than $110 million in the schools within the Richmond electorate. Right across the electorate, from as far south as Lennox Head and up to Tweed Heads, we are seeing this investment in our schools. I was very pleased recently to be at the Tweed Heads primary school with the Deputy Prime Minister to hear firsthand from them about the major improvements that are occurring there. Great change is happening at that school. Construction is imminent on $2.35 million worth of work on a new school hall and a covered outdoor learning area. The school is also undergoing $125,000 worth of refurbishments, which is great news. It is great news for the local students there and, indeed, throughout the electorate with all this major investment in education. Of course, it is also great news for local businesses. It is an investment in our local economy and local infrastructure. It was great at Tweed Heads primary to speak to principal Jacqui McAllum and the school captains and vice captains, who enthusiastically showed the Deputy Prime Minister and me their wonderful plans for this new hall. They are very excited about it. What a difference it will make to their learning environment. It is great to see firsthand how the Rudd government’s major investment in education is assisting so many students right across the North Coast.

These are major investments, but if it were up to the Liberal and National parties not one of these 90 local schools would have received this funding. They voted against the legislation in the parliament and they were against all of the schools in the electorate of Richmond getting specific funding that will improve their educational opportunities. It has been a major boost to local businesses with all the new infrastructure that is occurring, and it has been of great benefit to the local economy as well. The Building the Education Revolution program is making a huge difference right across the electorate. I have been very fortunate to attend many of the schools and to speak firsthand with students, teachers and families about the great difference the Rudd government’s education revolution is making in their lives. (Time expired)