- A secret report reveals the former Labor Government allowed one third of state schools to crumble under their watch.
- An eye-watering repair bill of more than $441 million is now required to repair and replace the assets reaching end of life.
- The Crisafulli Government is exposing Labor's neglect and has commenced the extensive repair process which will take several years.
The Crisafulli Government has uncovered a secret report that reveals significant deterioration of Queensland state schools under the former Labor Government, with one third of assets reaching end of life.
The Comprehensive Review of Infrastructure Renewal, commissioned by Labor in 2022, reveals more than 33 per cent of assets in state schools rated as poor or very poor by an independent assessor and a significant repair bill of $441 million is now required to restore them to a suitable condition.
State-wide assessments involved on-site inspections to identify current condition, defects, the quantity and scale of works required, and the anticipated timing required to undertake the works.
Due to Labor's chronic underinvestment in maintenance and renewal, extensive repairs are required at schools across the State to fix damage including leaking roofs, exposed ceiling trusses, crumbling retaining walls and rusted gutters.
The report explains the funding was pulled, under Labor, from the repair budget and allocated to other programs and projects including new halls, playgrounds, and arts centres.
Queensland's Education Department includes 1266 schools, 178 early childhood facilities and 27 outdoor environment education centres worth a combined total of $40 billion.
The Crisafulli Government has delivered a $21.9 billion Education Budget which includes 15 new schools, $222.1 million to better support teachers and address behaviour and bullying, along with significant actions to reduce red tape to give teachers more time in the classroom lifting literacy and numeracy results.
Minister for Education John-Paul Langbroek said Labor had left nothing but chaos and crisis in Queensland's classrooms.
"This independent report shows Labor starved our education system of the funding it needs to maintain schools," Minister Langbroek said.
"Labor made a clear choice to divert funding away from critical maintenance to red carpet announcements and ribbon-cutting projects.
"This mismanagement of Queensland taxpayers' money is reckless, incompetent, and deeply deceitful.
"We know Labor wanted to keep this report buried, but we've uncovered their failures and we're laying it bare for all Queenslanders to see.
"The Crisafulli Government is delivering a fresh start for education, and we are up for the challenge of fixing Labor's mess.
"Providing world-class educational facilities for Queensland children is a priority and we're working through the challenge of fixing Labor's financial vandalism.
"The Crisafulli Government is delivering safer classrooms and cracking-down on poor behaviour, with the $44 million Behavioural Boost and a nation-leading $33 million plan to stamp out bullying."
Actions to reduce red tape for teachers have rolled out to help unleash kids' full potential by giving teachers more time in the classroom to focus on the basics, which includes the new mandatory phonics and numeracy checks for Year 1 students.
This adds to the historic agreement signed with the Australian Government to fully fund all Queensland state schools for the first time in history, with an additional $9.4 billion allocated by the Crisafulli Government over 10 years to improve student outcomes.
