Dr ALLEN (Higgins) (15:52): A strong and effective education is one of the most important things a government can provide for the people that we all represent. The flow-on effects of having a well-educated society are immeasurable. The social and economic success of a nation hinges fundamentally on the strength of its education system. Those opposite tell us that education is their domain, that they were instrumental in the 'education revolution' that would 'transform Australian schooling'. In reality, under their watch, what happened? Labor has shown repeatedly that they talk a big game. When it comes to reform, they have had their chance. What did we get? The Building the Education Revolution. That's a big game. Those are big words. What does that mean? Everybody gets a hall—whether you want one or not, whether it fits or not. Like Henry Ford said: you can have one in any colour you want as long as it's black. The botched so-called Building the Education Revolution has been labelled a misappropriation of funds, and one that did not deliver value for money for our kids. Inflated quotes were just the beginning of this sorry saga. A government task force, led by the respected Brad Orgill, found that the BER project in New South Wales, Queensland and my home state of Victoria overpaid for buildings by more than 25 per cent compared to those in the Catholic education sector and by a staggering 55 per cent compared to those in the independent sector. So much for the education revolution—or, rather, the education devolution. While Labor are notorious for overspending their budget, those on this side of the chamber are studious, are diligent and look for best practice around the world when implementing educational reforms. The Morrison government and successive Liberal governments have a long list of achievements in the education space. Just today the Morrison government has reduced out-of-pocket expenses for Australian families with kids in preschool, providing financial support and assistance when families need it most. The coalition government is starting at the very beginning, building the foundations for lifelong learning in preschool. This means that 75 per cent of families with kids in child care won't pay more than $50 a day and 25 per cent of those won't pay more than $20 a day. We're ensuring that the formative years of a child through to adolescence are provided for, that they are given the building blocks for the next stage of life, whether that be university, higher education, an apprenticeship, joining the Defence Force or heading straight to work. Our school education funding means that every Australian has access to a world-class education regardless of where they live or their socioeconomic background. In my electorate of Higgins the coalition government has delivered increases in funding across government, Catholic and independent schools, giving families options when choosing where to send their children. I know this as a previous chair of a local school. School funding has increased every year under our government. Across Australia our government is providing record funding of $310 billion across all three sectors. That's an extra $37 billion, equating, on average, to an increase of 67 per cent per student over a decade. This is real needs based funding and a real investment in our kids' future. The Morrison government has provided record levels of funding for higher education and training, an increase year-on-year with every budget the coalition government has handed down. We're investing over $17 billion for higher education this year alone, and another $18 billion the year after. And it doesn't stop there; we're ensuring a good return on our investment, making our education dollar go further, by investing in research, including $3 billion for the Australian Research Council, important funding for our Australian scientists, because we know that, when we invest in good research, we drive innovation, and that results in jobs and a strong economy. Higher education is our third largest export, and we must continue to invest in our world renowned excellence. Despite the naysayers across the chamber, we are delivering— (Time expired)