NSW: Della Bosca wants overhaul of schools maintenance funding

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2007
NSW: Della Bosca wants overhaul of schools maintenance funding

EDS: Embargoed until 0001 AEST, Thursday, April 12



SYDNEY, April 12 AAP - NSW Education Minister John Della Bosca says he will be seeking
an overhaul of the commonwealth's school maintenance and capital works grants scheme when
he meets his federal counterpart in Darwin today.

Mr Della Bosca, who will be attending his first Ministerial Council for Education,
Employment, Training and Youth Affairs meeting since assuming his new portfolio earlier
this month, said the federal Investing in Our Schools Program was not being targeted at
the schools that needed it most.

Disadvantaged school communities that needed help with upgrading their facilities were
missing out, he said.

There was growing evidence, he said, that the scheme was being administered for political gain.

"Almost two thirds of funds for the first two rounds of the scheme were channelled
into coalition seats as part of political game playing," Mr Della Bosca said.

The average funding for coalition electorates in the first round of funding was $780,895
while for Labor it was $489,392, a difference of 160 per cent, he said.

"The trend was the same for the second round," Mr Della Bosca said.

The minister criticised the decision by the commonwealth to slash the maximum amount
public schools can apply for through the program from $150,000 to $100,000.

He accused the federal government of using the scheme as a "political slush fund" and
suggested an annual block of funds be provided to state governments to administer.

This was the way the program was applied to Catholic (private) schools, he said.

"Also the scheme does not take into account how old schools are, whether they are located
in disadvantaged areas and what other upgrades or maintenance programs they or are benefiting
from," Mr Della Bosca said.

AAP sk/srp/mn

KEYWORD: SCHOOLS NSW (EMBARGOED)

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