Peachey Allan: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Peachey Allan: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:656;Page:5623] 
ALLAN PEACHEY (Chairperson of the Education and Science Committee): 
 The focus of the education estimates is to get the maximum value from the taxpayers’ investment in education. The appropriation sought for Vote Education in Budget 2009 is $10.8 billion which is a significant increase on the appropriation sought for the previous year. The Budget concentrates on areas of education that will make the most difference and lying behind the Budget is a single-minded purpose which is to raise student achievement. For example participation in high-quality early childhood education provides children with foundation skills for them to succeed at school. We all know that alphabetic awareness is critical to children learning to read and to write. The more of our children who arrive in our schools with that awareness the greater their chances will be of making it—not just in school but in life. There is $69.7 million for improving access to early childhood education by expanding the 20 free hours policy and by removing the 6-hour daily limit. There is $69.7 million for that. 
Behind the Budget is an understanding that good literacy and numeracy skills are essential for success. The Government wants every child to reach national standards in literacy and in numeracy and to get the help he or she needs when that child is having difficulties. It is for that reason that the Government wants parents to receive clear easily understood information about how their children are progressing towards achieving the national standards. This will enable parents to become more involved and more informed about their children’s learning. The sums of money devoted to this are considerable. There is $523.3 million in operating and capital funding over 4 years to give this country a modern 21st century school footprint. There is $523.3 million for that. There is additional front-line funding for raising achievement in our schools. There is $80.1 million in additional funding for day-to-day school operations. There is $36 million to support the crusade for literacy and for numeracy. There is $16 million to fight truancy and $34 million to improve schools’ access to high-speed broadband. These are very significant sums. 
One of the measures that gives me the greatest personal satisfaction is the additional funding to improve the education of children with special needs. There is a 16 percent increase in Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Scheme funding—an additional $51 million. This is the first time in 10 years that there has been an increase in special-needs funding of this proportion. As a result an additional 1100 students will be entitled to Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Scheme funding—an additional 1100. I invite the next Labour speaker to take a minute to explain why over 10 years the Labour Government which is now out of office did nothing. It did nothing for our special-needs children. Those members should get up and tell us why. 
Of course one of the features of Vote Education is that the Government has had to provide for several significant cost pressures that were not covered by the previous Government. How often do we hear this? This Government is having to cover the cost pressures created by the previous Government but not provided for. For example there is $169.1 million in 2009-10 to pay the increases in teachers’ salaries. There is $70 million over 4 years to cover salary increases for school caretakers cleaners and ground staff. There is $127 million to inflation-adjust funding for tertiary institutions in 2010. These are significant amounts.