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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-09 Daily Xml
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EDUCATION FUNDING

Mr RAU (Enfield) (15:22): My question is to the Minister for Education. What action is being taken to ensure that the full benefit of state and commonwealth investment in education flows to young South Australians?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:22): I note that I only have two minutes, but I thank the member for Enfield for his question and his optimism that I can answer in less than two minutes.

In the 2009-10 state budget, we provided, on average, $12,627 for every government school student, which is an extra $1,059 compared to the previous year, bringing the increase to around $5,000 since we have been in government. This unprecedented investment in the education and care of young South Australians builds on our record long-term reform and revitalisation of education within this state and continued investment. Part of our opportunity has been helped by our strong commitment and relationship to work with the federal government, which I have to say has shown an extraordinary interest in the importance of and dedication to funding education in this country.

Of the total $2.195 billion in the 2008-09 DECS budget, 11 per cent was funded through the commonwealth government education funding system, 85 per cent from the state and 4 per cent from other sources of revenue. In providing more for education, the state government has worked diligently to ensure that as much of the funding as possible is directly provided to schools and also to those programs directly supporting the efforts of our dedicated teachers, school support officers and school leaders.

I am very pleased to correct some of the misinformation perpetrated by those—particularly those opposite—who were unable to understand the budgeting system.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: They disseminated as well. I inform the house that 95.2 per cent of the 2008-09 DECS budget was direct funding to schools, preschools, child care, programs for schools and preschools, and regional services. This included the resource entitlement statement (known as RES), which makes up 71 per cent of the $11,568 that was provided for every student in the 2008-09 year.

For those members who understand government school funding, of course, that is only part of the money that goes directly into our schools and to support teachers, because another 17 per cent is spent on school and preschool programs; for example, the Trade Schools for the Future initiative, our Children's Centres initiative, as well as our ICT internet services, transport for country students and students with disabilities, as well as student counsellors and speech pathologists, all services which benefit individually the children and schools in the region.

Around 5 per cent of the funding is for school building maintenance and refurbishments, and 2.2 per cent of the budget is for programs for schools and preschools, funded directly by commonwealth funds, particularly family day care. The remaining 4.8 per cent is for departmental costs, which include payroll services, procurement, curriculum support, IT systems and services, accounting and legal services. These are important support services to schools and, despite the rather offensive claims of those opposite of a bloated bureaucracy at 31 Flinders Street and the misinformation that was spread in the community, 4.8 per cent is a low level for overheads and reflects very important functions that, if they were to be devolved to schools, would be significantly more expensive.

I am advised that since 2002 some $45 million has been saved in the operating costs associated with the DECS central office, and this includes achieving the revised energy and water consumption targets set in the 2006-07 year. Indeed, I understand that around 53 per cent of these costs were cut in some areas—an extraordinary achievement for a head office which, again, is playing its part in government targets.

The state government continues to balance the need to restrict corporate overheads with the requirements to provide adequate support to our schools. This ensures that young South Australians receive the full benefit of the government's record investment in public education. I take this opportunity to thank those members of the DECS staff who work in head office and who are an integral part of providing quality education in this state, not just for public schools but also by supporting activities in the private sector, whether they be involved with SAPSASA funding, the new SACE, the anti-bullying strategy or a whole range of implementation programs relating to partnerships—which are supported by the DECS budget as well.

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