Education funding
Gabrielle DE VIETRI (Richmond) (09:54): What happened to truly public education? Our schools here are the second lowest funded in the country, and in my electorate, some schools have not been able to do basic maintenance in decades. They have got old carpets, toilet doors that will not close and staircases that are literally lifting off the floor. It means that schools are having to ask their parents to cover the absolute basics – school nurses, first-aid kits. One school even had to get parents to fund replacing a leaky septic tank. I mean, what kind of a crappy fundraiser is that? Other schools are surveying parents to see whether they should drop languages or art or other non-core subjects that I am sure many would agree are crucial to a rounded education.
Literally millions of dollars per school is being raised by parents for what is supposed to be free public education, and the problem is that Labor uses school funding as a tasty election treat for marginal areas. Pork-barrelling is wrong in any situation, but it is unforgivable to put our students’ safety and education on the line for political outcomes. It is not too much to ask for a properly funded, independent school building authority so that funding for schools is delivered transparently and based on need.