Public Schools Maintenance

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-100212

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

Public Schools Maintenance

Priority

Mr KEVIN CONOLLY (Riverstone) (16:36:00):

I move:

That this House supports the Government's record investment to upgrade and repair our State schools.

There was a $1 billion planned maintenance schedule remaining when Labor left government, which was $1 billion of work for the new Government to tackle. While in office Labor closed more than 90 schools, including Macquarie Boys High School, Beacon Hill High School, Maroubra High School and Redfern Public School. Labor talks a big game in education but its record does not reflect that talk. It does not have the means to match its words. Labor cannot manage money and will never deliver on its promises. This Government speaks of opening schools, refurbishing schools, building new schools and adding classrooms, while Labor spoke of closing schools. Labor made promises it could not keep and delayed infrastructure maintenance to the point where students were putting up with substandard facilities from one end of the State to the other.

This Government, in contrast, has delivered an extra 4,586 teachers. That is an enormous number. It is a massive injection of frontline services and consistent with this Government's actions across the board. Costs have been restricted at the back end in order to protect and enhance frontline services in education, health and policing. In education, it meant 4,586 extra teachers. In this year's budget the Government has committed to delivering more new schools and upgrades than Labor delivered in its last 11 years in office. To put it in context, Labor's last budget in 2010 announced $243 million for new education capital funding, while this Government has announced $2.2 billion. More than 50 new or relocated schools were announced and 16 have been delivered, including Cammeraygal High School, Anzac Park Public School, Fernhill School, Gosford Public School, Lake Cathie Public School, Oran Park Public School, and Spring Farm Public School. I have the privilege of representing the Riverstone electorate, where The Ponds School, Riverbank Public School, and The Ponds High School are included in that number.

Since its election, the Coalition Government has delivered 17 new or relocated schools and 41 major upgrades. Those schools include: Cabramatta High School; Hurstville Public School; Nepean High School; Denison College of Secondary Education, Bathurst High Campus; Georges River College Peakhurst Campus, Oatley; Collarenebri Central School; Mowbray Public School, Willoughby; Coolah Central School; Rutherford High School; Yeoval Central School; Wilton Public School; Narrabri Public School; Lucas Gardens School; Bowral Public School; Harbord Public School; Moree East Public School; Walgett Community College; Brewarrina Central School; Point Clare Public School; Bourke Street Public School, Newtown; and Bellevue Hill Public School. Upgrades have been delivered to 19 schools for specific purposes. I am particularly proud that the Government has focused its energy in this area.

That long list shows that we are not only talking—we are delivering. Those schools are located from one end of the State to the other. The previous Minister for Education, Adrian Piccoli, can be well satisfied with the commitment he delivered to meet the needs of isolated schools in the bush. Areas which had been neglected for decades have received attention under the Berejiklian-Barilaro Government. We are investing a record-breaking $747 million over the next four years to attack the planned maintenance schedule. We have slashed the State's planned maintenance list by more than $200 million, or a quarter, in the past 18 months following our record maintenance blitz.

Time expired.

By the end of this year, all schools in New South Wales will have had maintenance works carried out as part of the blitz. In the coming months another $100 million will be allocated towards further maintenance and the schools with the longest maintenance list will receive priority. That means our record investment has already nearly halved the liability left to us by Labor. A $25 billion property portfolio of more than 2,200 schools will always require ongoing maintenance which will be added to the list. Planned maintenance does not include any maintenance that poses a safety risk to students or staff nor any items that are broken in a classroom. Those issues are addressed immediately by the school or the department. An enormous amount of spending occurred in Western Sydney over the summer holidays, including— []

Mr JIHAD DIB (Lakemba) (16:41:35):

Nobody has walked straight into an upper cut as the member for Riverstone just did since Muhammad Ali knocked down Sonny Liston in 1954. The member for Riverstone talked about the $1 billion maintenance backlog that was left by Labor. For the third time, I will table this document by the former Minister for Education, which stated on 26 April 2012:

After 16 years Labor left NSW schools with a $156 million maintenance liability ...

The member for Riverstone should stop saying $1 billion; it is $156 million. If the member for Riverstone wants to talk about where the Government gets the other bits from, it is infrastructure. I thought the analogy of Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali worked well because the member for Riverstone walked straight into an upper cut. I feel for the member for Riverstone because I have talked about hospital passes before and this is a hospital pass and a half. If the Government has not looked at school maintenance over the past three or four weeks then Government members need to visit their local schools because the word in the real world is that a lot more needs to be done. Members opposite have convinced themselves that they are doing a terrific job.

Mr Mark Coure:

No wonder you are on the front bench.

Mr JIHAD DIB:

Unlike you. This Government has committed to spend $2.5 billion to rebuild stadiums. It has put stadiums in front of building the schools and hospitals that we need. That is what this Government stands for; it cannot say no. The number of demountables in schools is increasing, which is an increase on this Government's watch. Approximately one in 10 students are being taught in 5,000 demountable classrooms in schools. Some kids will go through their entire school life in a demountable classroom. Recently I was at Carlingford West Public School with the Leader of the Opposition and we watched 35 demountable classrooms being installed.

This Government should tell the students of Carlingford West Public School, which has increased by more than 50 per cent over the past three years to more than 1,300 enrolments, that they do not deserve money to be spent on their school for additional toilets. The problem is that members opposite have started to believe their own hype. It is all right for the member for Riverstone to say what he is doing but he should not get too carried away. The Government talks about how much money it is spending, but it should be remembered that this State is spending only 20 per cent of its budget on education. That might appear to be a pretty big figure but it is not when it is averaged out to other States which are spending 24 per cent of their budget on education.

Mr Mark Coure:

How many schools did you close?

Mr JIHAD DIB:

The member for Oatley likes to talk about Labor cutting services but this Government has closed more schools than it has built. The member for Oatley should listen to what I am saying as he might learn something. We are going through a heatwave and kids are sitting in classrooms in conditions in which they cannot learn. No-one would build a house in the western suburbs of Sydney without air conditioning but this Government is building a school without it. It uses as an excuse that the school will benefit from the breeze off the river. The Government is spending tens of millions of dollars to build schools without air conditioning.

Time expired

This Government loves to talk about the good things it is doing, but kids are still sitting in demountables or they are in overcrowded classrooms. One-third of our schools are at or above capacity. Parents are sending their kids to schools in dangerous conditions and classes are overheating. Instead of spending money on education the Government is willing to spend $2.5 billion on stadiums. Every Government member will have to account for that. They will have to tell their communities that they are prioritising stadiums over schools, kids and hospitals. It is all well and good for Government members to come into this Chamber—[.]

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (16:47:31):

In the past 16 years all that Labor has done is cut services. We have seen cuts to teachers and cuts to schools. We have seen a billion-dollar planned maintenance—

Mr Jihad Dib:

Point of order: There have not been any cuts to teachers.

Mr MARK COURE:

Ninety schools closed under Labor's watch. Surplus land was sold under Labor, programs were slashed and there were more maintenance backlogs. Under Labor services were cut. Let us compare 16 years under Labor with seven years under a Liberal-Nationals Government. We have seen record spending of $747 million over the next four years to reduce planned maintenance schedules that seem only to have accumulated under the Labor Government. We are clearing Labor's backlog.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

Order! Members will cease interjecting. I am having trouble hearing the member for Oatley.

Mr MARK COURE:

For the benefit of all those listening to this debate or watching it on the worldwide web, $841,000 was spent on projects at 10 schools in my electorate—Penshurst West, Peakhurst West, Peakhurst South, Lugarno, Hurstville South, Georges River College Campus and Peakhurst Campus. The member for Canterbury knows someone special who teaches there. Other maintenance projects that commenced over the school holidays—

Ms Sophie Cotsis:

He's very special.

Mr MARK COURE:

He is very special; he votes for me.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

Order! The member for Oatley will ignore interjections. Members will direct their comments through the Chair.

Mr MARK COURE:

Other maintenance projects that commenced over the school holidays include Oatley Public School, Mortdale Public School and major upgrades at Narwee Public School. Our government has slashed the State's planned maintenance list by more than $200 million in the past 18 months. It is not just maintenance; there are school upgrades. There is a school hall at Peakhurst campus—that same person I am sure teaches in that same school hall. There have been upgrades at Hurstville Public School. The list continues—and not just in my electorate. There will be new schools in the electorates of the member for Drummoyne and the member for Riverstone and upgrades to schools in the electorate of the member for Heathcote. We are getting on with the job of fixing the backlog created by those opposite.

Ms Sophie Cotsis:

Are you auditioning?

Mr MARK COURE:Time expired

I am. We on this side of the House take education seriously, unlike those opposite. [.]

Mr DAVID MEHAN (The Entrance) (16:50:35):

I oppose the motion moved by the member for Riverstone and the House should oppose it also, because whatever the claimed investment it has not been adequate to address the needs of schools in my electorate and elsewhere on the Central Coast. Whatever the claimed investment, the lived experience of my community is that investment occurs in the electorate of The Entrance and elsewhere on the Central Coast only after schools start to fail. Looking at the State as a whole, it is a matter of public record that since this Government was elected in 2011 the Liberal-Nationals have closed more schools than they have opened. That is the bottom line.

I will advance my argument by referring to a couple of the 16 public schools in my electorate. The Glenvale School is a special education school situated in The Entrance North. A couple of years ago the Government had a security fence built around the school. It quickly began to deteriorate. That is an example of the Government's planned maintenance work. The security fence continues to deteriorate, and I have complained about it a number of times. The Minister's response is that $32,000 has been spent replacing 60 per cent of the school fence and the situation will continue to be monitored. I have sent photos to the Minister showing that the fence is rusted through completely. There are teenagers at that school who wander away. The fence is in a disastrous state and nothing was done to maintain it adequately when it was erected, and nothing has been done now that it has failed. It is not being fixed as quickly as it should be.

Mr Mark Coure:

Have you been to the Minister yet? I bet you have not.

Mr DAVID MEHAN:Time expired

I have his reply. He says that it will be looked at, and nothing has been done. I am happy to table that document. Lisarow High School has a problem with damp and drainage that was not addressed by the Government until the New South Wales Teachers Federation and I complained about it. I inspected the site. Books in the library and the storage room had mould on them. The drainage had not been maintained and the taps and downpipes were leaking. Basic maintenance had not been done at the school, and as a consequence school property was damaged and students and teachers suffered health problems that were addressed only after we raised the matter with the Teachers Federation. On the subject of investment, Tuggerah Public School just wants investment of intention: It wants the Crown land next to the school. It has been almost four years and the Minister has failed to secure that Crown land for the benefit of the school. That is the Government's idea of investment. [.]

Mr KEVIN CONOLLY (Riverstone) (16:53:44):

In reply: I acknowledge the contributions to the debate made by members representing the electorates of Oatley, The Entrance and Lakemba. It was amazing to listen to the member for The Entrance. It does not matter what the numbers are, whatever is being spent he will not be happy.

Mr John Sidoti:

Whatever.

Mr KEVIN CONOLLY:

Whatever. The important thing is that we are spending record amounts—more than any other government in New South Wales history. That matters, but what matters more is why we are able to do it. It is because we can manage our finances and impose discipline on the way government works. We can spend money on all the infrastructure needs of New South Wales, not just on one project, one portfolio or one area of need at a time. We can spend record sums on hospitals, schools, transport projects and motorways because of this Government's great economic management. We can meet the needs of people across New South Wales because we have the economy and government finances in good shape. That is what this is about.

We are spending record amounts on education and committing more than ever to a project of new and upgraded schools because we are in a position to do it. The story of the Berejiklian-Barilaro Government is of a government that has looked after its finances, taken hard decisions to limit wastage and unproductive spending, and tightened its belt so that it can direct money to areas of need. That is happening across the board. As I said, it means we are limiting back-office functions and putting money into frontline services in every portfolio. People are benefitting from that approach, just as students will benefit from the largest injection of funds into school maintenance, and new and refurbished school infrastructure that our schools have ever received.

The Government is able to make this investment because it took a range of hard decisions to limit spending that was not meeting people's needs and invest instead in areas where it would. This is a great example of that. Members should support the Government's efforts to fund school maintenance, and provide new and refurbished schools and classrooms so that students streaming into schools across New South Wales will have the best educational opportunities we can provide.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

The question is that the motion as moved by the member for Riverstone be agreed to.

The House divided.

Ayes53

Noes35

Majority18

Motion agreed to.