LNP vow to keep kids cool

THE LNP is promising to provide air-conditioning in all of the Gold Coast’s state school classrooms.

Opposition leader Deb Frecklington in her Budget-inreply speech in State Parliament yesterday made the pledge, which follows on from reporting by the Bulletin last summer about stressed students and teachers.

The Bulletin had revealed parents were paying for airconditioning and electricity costs to stop their children being baked in state school hothouses

One school was paying $10,000 every month to cool down classrooms with parents asked to help out by paying $80 per single child or $100 for a family as a voluntary electricity levy.

Others were fundraising more than $100,000 each to put aircon units into 39C sweatboxes after being told it was the only way their kids will get cool classes.

Ms Frecklington said last year was the hottest on record in the State with temperatures even in the southeast soaring to almost 38 degrees.

“Right now the Queensland Government only funds airconditioning in state schools in tropical and western Queensland,” Ms Frecklington told Parliament.

“Well, I want air-conditioning in every one of our state school classrooms. We aircondition our hospitals, our prisons and our parliament … but we let our kids swelter.”

Ms Frecklington admitted the initiative would require significant investment and take time to be rolled out.

The cool classroom program got immediate support from Coast LNP MPs.