Education

We all know the importance of education for the future prosperity of our community. Education creates many social benefits, including better employment outcomes, lower crime rates, improved civic engagement, reduced rates of addiction, and healthier families.

Transitioning a young people from school into further education – whether vocational education, an apprenticeship, on-the-job training, or university – is a major predictor of their future success. Lifelong learning is also important to the ongoing growth and development of our community.

I am committed to delivering improved educational outcomes for Mayo.

This means:

• Delivering fairer and stronger funding for education, especially for our schools
• Delivering sustained funding for apprenticeships
• Helping young people successful transition from school into workplace or tertiary education

Results:

• An extra $424 million for SA schools through the Gonski 2.0 education reforms, an extra $66 million of that for Mayo
• Negotiated the transition to the new Gonski 2.0 funding model to occur more quickly, over 6 years rather than the original proposal of 10 years
• Negotiated $60m of funding to restart highly effective apprentice mentoring programs
• A tripling of the rebate to a total of $180 per child for each Kangaroo Island student participating in any annual school trip to Canberra for civic education

Media Releases:

• Rebekha secures $1M for TAFE upgrades (12 October 2020)
• Childcare funding top-up great news but more details needed (5 May 2020)
  
• Family Day Care must be exempt from 'free fee' package (7 April 2020)
• First Local Schools Fund project launched in Mayo (18 February 2020)
• KI teenager heads from country to Canberra (2 December 2019)
• Mayo teachers take out Prime Minister's science awards (17 October 2019)
• Child Care Bill a boon for parents seeking holiday care (18 September 2019)
• TAFE campuses need urgent upgrades (19 March 2019)
• KICE students are in the 'House' (24 October 2018)
• Urgent need for 'Gonski-style' higher education review (19 October 2017)
• 'Real' Gonski win for Australian schools (21 June 2017)
• MP welcomes Canberra camp funding for Kangaroo Island students (15 March 2018)
• Canberra trip rebate under review for Kangaroo Island students (12 January 2017)
• Call for higher rebate for Kangaroo Island students (22 November 2016)

Speeches and Questions in Parliament:

• Adjournment Debate: Child Care (25 March 2021)
• National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Governance and Other Matters) Bill 2020 (16 June 2020)
• COVID-19: Higher Education Discussion (10 June 2020)
• Higher Education Support Amendment (National Regional Higher Education Strategy) Bill 2018 (26 March 2018)
• Higher Education Support Legislation Amendment Bill (13 September 2017)
• Appropriations 2017-18 Bill (31 May 2017)
• Australian Education Amendment Bill (29 May 2017)
• Youth Week and Youth Connections (17 October 2016)

I have also asked Questions in Writing on the following topics:

• Support for distance learning and remote education
• Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) for Kangaroo Island students to visit Canberra