Coast deserves better after latest round of school cuts

NEW school funding arrangements brought in by the Turnbull Government will mean $61 million less for Gold Coast state schools over the next two years.

On Tuesday I visited Nerang State School, to talk to teachers about what these changes will mean for them and the kids they are teaching.

Across Queensland, these changes will rip nearly $500 million out of schools.

That means 4765 less teachers across Queensland. That’s the equivalent of almost 3 teachers lost from every school.

This will be devastating for the Gold Coast, and yet not one word from the wall to wall LNP Federal MPs about these changes.

Schools in every Gold Coast electorate will see funding cuts:

• $13.6 million cut from schools in Moncrieff,

• $18.6 million cut from schools in Forde,

• $14.4 million cut from schools in Fadden and

• $14.5 million cut from schools in McPherson.

Compare that to the work of the State Government, who earlier this month opened four new schools across Queensland, including the new Picnic Creek State School in Coomera.

It’s clear that properly funding education on the Gold Coast just isn’t a priority for our Gold Coast LNP MPs.

Instead they’d rather give a $65 billion tax cut to multinationals and the big banks.

Federal Labor will restore the funding that the Turnbull Government is ripping out of our schools.

While the Gold Coast LNP take our city for granted, we will continue to fight for proper funding for our schools.

The education of our children is too important to leave to the protection of a group of do nothing LNP MPs. The Gold Coast deserves better.

MURRAY WATT, LABOR SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND