Mr GREG WARREN (Campbelltown) (15:35): My question is addressed to the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education in his capacity representing the acting Minister for Education and Early Learning. Will the Minister update the House on how the budget continues to deliver on the Minns Labor Government's commitment to ensure families across New South Wales have access to a quality and free education?
Mr STEVE WHAN (Monaro—Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education) (15:35): I thank the member for Campbelltown for his question and start by acknowledging the absence of the Deputy Premier. I am sure everyone in this Chamber joins me in passing on our best wishes for a speedy recovery and return to her rightful place alongside the Premier on the front bench. It is a great honour for me to highlight the Deputy Premier's achievements in education embodied in this budget, because it is a historic budget for education in New South Wales. Never before has more money gone into public schools and public education in this State. This is truly building a better New South Wales. The Minns Labor Government is delivering a record $9 billion in new and upgraded schools in this budget. That is more than at any time under a Liberal-Nationals government.
Finally, 13 years after David Gonski led his landmark review into schools funding, along with the Albanese Government we will ensure every public school is fully and fairly funded. That is what Labor governments do, and that is the vision of what our State looks like. The budget delivers the single largest investment for public school students in New South Wales history. It equates to more than $17,000 for every public school student in New South Wales, from Broken Hill to Bega and from Richmond to—my notes say Ryde, but I am going to say to Monaro. That is $2,200 more per student than the Liberals and The Nationals thought students should get in our public schools in New South Wales. It will go towards things that will improve student outcomes, like expanding small-group tutoring to more students and introducing a nation-leading Year 1 Number Screening Check.
These are transformational initiatives making sure students get the right support when they need it and reversing the declining outcomes overseen by members opposite. Since coming to government, Labor has seen construction underway or getting underway by the end of the year on 55 new and upgraded schools. On top of that, this budget includes funding for 15 additional new schools and major upgrades. These are real projects, not like the former Government's announcements of projects with no land, no scope of works, no business case and no action or, in Monaro, the debacle of a Bungendore school announced at the wrong site.
The SPEAKER: Order! Members will come to order.
Mr STEVE WHAN: This budget continues the Government's commitment to rebuilding education in New South Wales. It inherited a situation in which the Liberals and The Nationals had left office with fewer schools, had overseen a 35 per cent increase in demountable classrooms, and had failed to build schools in the fastest growing communities. [Extension of time]
I heard an interjection from the other side of the Chamber asking how many schools will be in Queanbeyan. There are two new high schools in Queanbeyan: one expanded public school and one at Bungendore. That is fantastic. The budget includes four new schools that will deliver classrooms for 2,500 students, including a new high school at Wilton. I assure the member for Wollondilly that the classrooms there will have walls, unlike Picton High School where members opposite built classrooms with no walls. A new primary school will be built at West Dapto, which the member for Shellharbour has been lobbying for.
Ms Robyn Preston: Pork-barrelling.
The SPEAKER: The member for Hawkesbury will come to order.
Mr STEVE WHAN: The member for Leppington will be looking forward to the new primary school at Emerald Hills. That community was neglected for 12 years by the Liberals. A new primary school will be built at Grantham Farm in the electorate of the member for Riverstone. These are all part of a massive investment across north-west Sydney and the Hills district that includes new public schools and a high school at Box Hill. The Liberals did not build a single school there despite an enrolment growth of 1,114 per cent. This Government has a huge amount of work underway. As some of my colleagues said earlier, we would not be able to do this if we had not put the budget into a reasonable position. We reduced the prospective debt by nearly $10 billion and delivered a massive increase—
Mr Ryan Park: Point of order: I want it put on record that the member for Hawkesbury made a comment about pork-barrelling.
The SPEAKER: Is the member for Keira taking a point of order?
Mr Ryan Park: Yes. My point of order is taken under Standing Order 129.
The SPEAKER: It will not take me long to rule on this. There is no point of order under Standing Order 129. I do not think the comment was too loud in the scheme of things. There has been a number of interjections by members on both sides of the House. The Minister will be heard in silence.
Mr Ray Williams: Point of order—
The SPEAKER: The member for Kellyville will resume his seat.
Mr Ray Williams: Then I wish to make a personal explanation.
The SPEAKER: The member for Kellyville will not be given the opportunity to make a personal explanation. The Minister will be allowed to complete his answer in the time remaining.
Mr STEVE WHAN: I thank the Minister for Health for noting that the member for Hawkesbury was making accusations about pork-barrelling in education. Apparently delivering schools in areas of Western Sydney that the Opposition ignored for so long is now pork-barrelling. That is amazing. This Government can deliver all of this because it is a sound economic manager. Members on this side of the House are making sound budget decisions.
