E&OE...
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Paying off Labor's $96 billion debt and my Government's careful management of the economy has enabled the Commonwealth to massively increase education funding in Australia.
Funding for government schools has risen in every Budget with an estimated increase of 118 per cent since 1996, even though enrolments in government schools during that time have risen by only 1 per cent. From 2005 to 2008, the Government will provide about $33 billion dollars for all schools.
The Government's Investing in Our Schools Program, introduced two years ago, has been a very helpful addition to the Commonwealth's overall education funding.
This scheme gives local communities a say in what they think is important for their schools. It provides funds for small scale projects like new playgrounds, toilet-block upgrades, classroom enhancements and up-to-date computer labs.
The program is a practical way of responding to infrastructure backlogs in both government and less-well-off non-government schools; and so far more than 7500 schools have received funding.
Later today, I will announce a new round of funding for the Investing in Our Schools Program - an additional $181 million for important projects identified by school communities.
Of this new money, $127 million will be for government schools and $54 million for the non-government sector. This will take the overall Commonwealth expenditure on this program to almost $1.2 billion.
This is money that would not have been available without the careful management of the economy. With the right policy settings and Budget priorities, the Federal Government has been able to provide billions more for the nation's schools.
Only the Liberal-National Coalition has the economic management experience to ensure that Australia's schools continue to be well-funded and well resourced.
[ends] Listen to this speech (MP3 - 2.1Mb - 135secs)