Transcript:

Ms PAYNE (Canberra) (09:38): I rise today to talk about the importance of properly funding public education. Public education plays such an important role in ensuring that all Australians have the best opportunities and the best start in life to pursue whatever it is that they want, and that journey begins at school with their amazing teachers.

I was proud to attend public schools here in the ACT, and what I got from that was the message that anyone can achieve anything. I had amazing teachers, and now my son, who has just started year 2, and my daughter, who has just started preschool, have amazing teachers in our public school system here in the ACT.

The Gonski review set out a clear objective to ensure that every Australian school was funded to meet the needs of the students based on a range of school characteristics. It is a simple principle that schools should have the resources to give every child the best possible start in life. That is why Labor have always championed full and fair funding for our public schools, and I am so proud that our Albanese Labor government, through the leadership of the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, are delivering the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, which wants to see every public school around this country fully funded. This will mean an extra $16 billion of additional investment put on the table for states and territories to agree to. I'm proud to say that the ACT has already signed this agreement. This means an extra $110½ million of funding for ACT public schools over the next five years.

I'm also proud to say that, thanks to the ACT Labor government and ACT minister Yvette Berry, the ACT was already fully funded to 100 per cent of needs based funding. The ACT was the only jurisdiction in Australia to do that, and that's because we understand the importance. This is one of the most important things governments can do to ensure the best for our constituents and all Australians. This additional funding will put extra funding into schools in my electorate and the ACT to ensure that every child has the best start and that teachers are supported to do what they do best. It will ensure that every student has the tools that they need to catch up, keep up, and finish school, and engaging students early where they might need a little extra support. It's about making sure that every child, no matter their circumstances or where they live, have the support they need to get the best out of their education. I thank the minister and our government. This is a fantastic investment for Australia.