A new schools funding estimator is set to help parents, teachers, principals and school communities in the Bonner electorate see exactly how they stand to benefit from the Turnbull Government’s new $18.6 billion needs-based schools funding plan.

Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta said the new online estimator showed that schools across the local area would benefit from a funding increase of $21.3 million between 2017 and 2021.

“This new estimator will give parents, teachers and principals the information they need about our needs-based funding plan to make long-term plans for the future of each child and each school,” Mr Vasta said.

“I’m pleased to report that all 44 schools in my electorate will benefit from increased funding under our new funding plan,” Mr Vasta said.

“Our plan invests an additional $21.3 million of needs-based funding into Bonner schools over the next four years. We’re delivering long-term funding certainty for schools and communities and ensuring everybody is treated fairly and equitably.

“Our plan factors in the background, family life, levels of disability and socioeconomic status of each student and school to ensure funding is truly needs-based and fair.

“We’re delivering the real ‘Gonski’ needs-based funding model that Labor didn’t.

“Everyone can see for themselves exactly how our plan will benefit their school by visiting www.education.gov.au/qualityschools and clicking through to the Schools Funding Estimator.”

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the Turnbull Government’s plan would transform Australian schools. 

“Our plan will set students on the path to academic excellence and achieve real needs-based funding for students from all backgrounds, in every town and city, in every region and state, in every classroom,” Minister Birmingham said. 

Further details of the Turnbull Government’s Quality Schools reform package are available at: www.education.gov.au/qualityschools 

Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta has called on local preschools and child care centres to sign up to the Turnbull Government’s popular early learning languages program before applications close on 26 February 2017.

Tens of thousands of preschoolers across the country are set to try their hand at languages this year as part of the Turnbull Government’s Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program, which is open nationally for the first time.

Mr Vasta said children could learn Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese or Spanish as part of the program in 2017.

“We want to ensure children in Bonner aren’t left behind the 30,000 young Australians we expect will take part in the ELLA program this year, so I’d encourage our local preschools and child care centres to head to www.ella.edu.au and sign up,” Mr Vasta said.

“We’ve seen how the ELLA languages program can have a positive impact on our children and so parents and families should get in touch with their preschool or child care service and ask them to sign up. We have a range of tools in place to help services roll out the ELLA program but they need to register by 26 February 2017.

“Learning a foreign language doesn’t just give children the gift of the gab, it can boost other vital skills like problem solving and their literacy in English that ultimately carry through to their performance at school.

“Even where young students may not continue into school with the language they learned in preschool, research indicates that they will enjoy real cognitive and developmental benefits from learning another language in their earliest years.

“ELLA is a play-based way for children to learn another language and open their mind. Following the program’s successful trials last year the Turnbull Government committed an additional $5.9 million to roll it out to any eligible preschool or child care centre that wants to take part.”  

For more information visit https://www.education.gov.au/early-learning-languages-australia.

Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta today announced two undergraduate students from the electorate have been awarded Australian Government scholarships to live, study and intern in the Indo-Pacific.

“These local students have won two of only 105 prestigious New Colombo Plan scholarships to support our nation’s best and brightest to engage with our region,” Mr Vasta said.

Shaun Milligan, a Holland Park West local and Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business student from Griffith University, will undertake legal studies in dispute resolution at the University of Hong Kong for one semester.

“I believe the NCP experience will foster relationships, both personal and professional, that will last long into my career. These relationships will grant me exposure to intercultural perspectives and dialogue, and the capacity to increase my proficiency in regards to Indo-Pacific work practices,” Mr Milligan said.

Wynnum local Michael Lucas, a Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Arts student from the University of Queensland, will be undertaking full-time Indonesian language immersion at Universitas Gadjah Mada for one semester.

The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and intern in the region.

“New Colombo Plan scholarships recognise students’ exceptional academic performance, community engagement and commitment to deepening relationships with our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific,” Mr Vasta said.

“While overseas, New Colombo Plan scholars act as ambassadors for their communities, universities and indeed Australia. We can all be proud of our scholars’ achievements and look forward to their contribution to Australia’s relationship with the Indo-Pacific in the years ahead.”

New Colombo Plan 2017 scholars were announced this week by Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, and Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham.

“New Colombo Plan scholars will study in 17 Indo-Pacific locations in 2017, including Pakistan and Papua New Guinea for the first time,” Minister Bishop said.

“This reflects the continued strong demand for diverse study opportunities in our region.”

The NCP scholars will join more than 7,400 New Colombo Plan mobility grant recipients in 2017, taking the total number of students supported by the NCP in its first four years to 17,500.

“This is a remarkable achievement that reflects the commitment of the Government, our universities and business champions to invest in our young people and demonstrate our genuine commitment to long-term engagement with our region,” Minister Bishop said.

For more information on the New Colombo Plan visit www.dfat.gov.au/new-colombo-plan.

I’d like to speak today about Gundala Kindergarten, an outstanding local institution in Wynnum. Gundala is the only indigenous kindergarten in the local area. They have been meeting the early educational needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children since 1978.

Gundala services Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander families in Wynnum as well as from all over the Brisbane southside. Principal Deb Meates tells me many parents travel for up to half an hour to 45 minutes to bring their children to Gundala.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Gundala with the Cabinet Secretary. We saw firsthand the outstanding services they provide. Gundala offers a deeply-imbedded cultural program based on Quandamooka culture that teaches Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander culture to its students. This is a great example of the importance of Government funding for early childhood learning.

Over the last year Gundala has been raising funds for a school bus. They decided on the bus after looking at studies and recognising the barriers for some Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander families in getting their children to school. I’m pleased to report they now have a new bus!

Deb has also told me about their side project to have a local Indigenous artist design a mural that will go up on the bus as well as the Gundala building. I commend Gundala for their work closing the gap for local Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander families and making available to them these services and opportunities.

Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta today congratulated Griffith University, which has received $467,000 in Commonwealth funding to promote excellence in learning and teaching in higher education.

Mr Vasta welcomed the Government’s announcement of $4.7 million in funding as part of its ongoing commitment to maintaining a world class higher education sector by developing the best teaching and student learning experiences.

This represents funding under the 2015 Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) national fellowships programme as well as the first round of recipients in 2015 under the OLT grants programme.

Griffith University will use the prestigious funding to identify possible post-practicum interventions aimed at maximising learning outcomes from student work experiences and securing learning outcomes associated with graduate employability.

“This funding will allow collaboration with other university partners to enhance academic development and course design and improve the experience of students in our higher education institutions,” Mr Vasta said.

“These investments will also help Griffith University embrace emerging technologies for course delivery and student support, allowing a better alignment between higher education and industry needs.”

“We are committed to strengthening our higher education sector and the education that it offers to our students, and improving its global competitiveness.”

For a full list of 2015 Office for Teacher Learning grant recipients and fellows visit www.olt.gov.au.

Government schools in Bonner will benefit from the Australian Government’s $70 million Independent Public Schools (IPS) initiative, designed to strengthen the capacity of school communities to make better decisions for students.

Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta, said Australian Government funding will flow to local schools as a result of an agreement between the Minister for Education, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, and the Queensland Minister for Education, Training and Employment, the Hon John-Paul Langbroek MP.

“This is great news for our local community,” Mr Vasta said.

“No one is better placed to make decisions about how a school should be run than the principal, teachers and parents at that school.”

“This funding will expand Queensland’s Independent Public Schools initiative, and provide professional development to support local school leaders in making better decisions.”

Under this initiative, Queensland will receive $12.88 million from the Australian Government between 2014 and 2017 to enable an additional 130 government schools to become Independent Public Schools.

“This is over and above the state’s current program, and will directly benefit school principals, leadership teams and school communities in Bonner,” Mr Vasta said.

“The funding means the good work already happening in local schools can be expanded to provide more parents in our community with more choice.”

The funding will also assist with the development and delivery of three professional development programmes, and an online system to help schools better manage their budgets.

Mr Vasta said the IPS initiative is part of the Government’s Students First approach, which focuses on four key areas – teacher quality, school autonomy, parental engagement, and strengthening the curriculum – that will allow local schools to better meet the needs of students.

 For further information, visit www.studentsfirst.gov.au.