Mr TOYNE - 2000-06-14
Contrary toreports in the NT News, total spending across the four divisions of the Education portfolio in the 2000-2001 budget is expected to rise by a mere 0.6%. At the same time, student numbers in our schools are rising and the inflationary effects of the GST will hit during the year. Isn’t this another example of the price Territorians are paying for CLP waste and mismanagement?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is just another example of how one should mistrust the opposition’s figures when they are misquoted loosely like that. The fact is that some $20m extra has been put into education this year.
There is a growth in student numbers. There are some 41 000 students out there in some 200 schools and a staff of 4000 in the Education Department, and we do have some big challenges. What is the government’s response to that? Extra funds and resources to produce the best education results for Territory kids. An extra $25m.
We have already heard the argument about the program for IT in schools. This will put us in the forefront of this country in our commitment to our kids and the future. This is where the future is going.
This government is on the record, and it puts its money where its mouth is, to produce the results. What it means for our kids in our schools is having the backbone to make the commitment, rather than just talking mealy-mouthed about reducing petrol prices. We know that might cause some angst amongst Territorians, but we believe they will look at the situation and say: ‘You’re putting it into schools. This is good for us. It’s good for our kids. It’s good for the future’.
The truth of the matter is this government has upped the funding for education from around $300m to around $320m. That is a firm commitment, and it will produce the best education service for Territory kids.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is just another example of how one should mistrust the opposition’s figures when they are misquoted loosely like that. The fact is that some $20m extra has been put into education this year.
There is a growth in student numbers. There are some 41 000 students out there in some 200 schools and a staff of 4000 in the Education Department, and we do have some big challenges. What is the government’s response to that? Extra funds and resources to produce the best education results for Territory kids. An extra $25m.
We have already heard the argument about the program for IT in schools. This will put us in the forefront of this country in our commitment to our kids and the future. This is where the future is going.
This government is on the record, and it puts its money where its mouth is, to produce the results. What it means for our kids in our schools is having the backbone to make the commitment, rather than just talking mealy-mouthed about reducing petrol prices. We know that might cause some angst amongst Territorians, but we believe they will look at the situation and say: ‘You’re putting it into schools. This is good for us. It’s good for our kids. It’s good for the future’.
The truth of the matter is this government has upped the funding for education from around $300m to around $320m. That is a firm commitment, and it will produce the best education service for Territory kids.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016