GRAY WELCOMES STUDENTS BACK TO SCHOOL

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Local Member of Federal Parliament Gary Gray this week welcomed Rockingham and Kwinana students back to school.

“This is an exciting time for the students, who will be returning to even better equipped schools, thanks to the Government’s investment of more than $65 billion in education,” Mr Gray said.

“The Gillard Government believes every child in every school should have access to a great education, which is why we have almost doubled funding to schools since 2007.”

In Rockingham and Kwinana, this funding has given students access to:

·         New or upgraded school facilities, including 39 classroom projects, 12 libraries, 11multipurpose halls and two science centres;

·         19 chaplains and student welfare workers, who help students face the many challenges that can arise in the school year ahead;

·         7,082 new computers in schools; and

·         Support to address disadvantage, improve literacy and numeracy and improve teacher quality through the Smarter Schools National Partnerships, with 32 schools in Rockingham and Kwinana taking part.

“Our commitment to education has made a real difference to local schools with all students having access to modern teaching facilities to help students achieve their best,” Mr Gray said.

In 2012, the Australian Government will begin to deliver:

·         $200 million for the More Support for Students with Disabilities initiative in government and non-government schools, in addition to the $40 million already allocated to children with autism and their families;

·         More access for students to the National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare program, and schools now able to choose to employ a chaplain or welfare worker;

·         More than $62 million to support increased local decision-making in 1,000 government and non-government schools over 2012 and 2013; and

·         $30 million over two years towards closing the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student education results, by improving attendance, classroom participation, and literacy and numeracy achievement in specially selected schools.

“The Gillard Government also this year launched a new website, the Easy Guide to Socialising Online, which was developed to help parents, children and educators combat cyberbullying and inappropriate content online,” Mr Gray said.

Mr Gray reminded families to take advantage of the Australian Government’s Education Tax Refund, with families able to claim 50 per cent of eligible education expenses, up to a maximum refund of $794 for high school children and $397 for primary school children on back-to-school items.

 “School-approved uniforms, including hats, footwear and sports uniforms purchased from 1 July 2011 can be claimed at tax time in 2012, so I would urge families to keep their receipts.”

The Government’s new cyberbullying website can be found at www.dbcde.gov.au/easyguide