Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads) (16:18): I acknowledge the wonderful teachers, librarians, learning support staff, educators and those in administration roles in our schools, TAFEs, preschools and all learning facilities in Maitland. When I first stood in this place to discuss issues that I was dealing with in education—which included things like bullying, harassment and covert surveillance on teachers in our schools—teachers were working and students were learning in environments that were well below twenty-first century standards. We had teachers who had had no real investment in their wages, who were casual and were never getting permanent work, as well as students who had many classes cancelled. We had maintenance backlogs and growing cities of demountables on school sites.

Together with the Teachers Federation and Parents and Citizens Associations across the Maitland electorate, we have worked to improve Maitland's education system from the ground up. From Opposition benches, we saw significant upgrades to Bolwarra Public School, Rutherford Technology High School, Rutherford Public School, Tenambit Public School and Gillieston Public School. We are working on new state-of-the-art preschool facilities at Tenambit and Gillieston public schools alongside their redevelopments.

The Minns Labor Government has invested in educators. It scrapped the wages cap, a cap introduced by those opposite to ensure that teachers were not paid what they deserved for 12 long years. As a result of the Government's changes, teachers in Maitland will have highly competitive salaries, receiving a 3 per cent pay increase annually for the next three years, as well as improved workplace flexibility for attraction and retention, including opportunities for job-sharing, part-time employment, and full-time and part‑time leave without pay. The Government is capping regular after-school meetings at one hour a week, with after-school events to be planned in consultation with teachers with reasonable notice given. There will be additional school development days, with a focus on explicit teaching strategies and the curriculum.

That agreement follows the once‑in-a-generation pay rise given to teachers last year, which saw starting salaries lifted from just over $75,000 to $85,000 per year. Salaries at the top of the scale will increase from just over $113,000 to over $122,000 per year. The Government has converted more than 16,000 temporary teachers and school support staff to permanent roles; banned mobile phones in public schools to improve student behaviour and focus in the classroom; expanded the School Admin Reduction Program trial to streamline the non-classroom work required of teachers; and reduced teacher vacancies to a three-year low of just over 1,600, with New South Wales public schools reporting 24 per cent fewer vacancies at the start of term 3 than at the same time last year.

While the Government has rightfully prioritised the staffing crisis in schools that was left by those opposite, it has also invested in school infrastructure. In addition to the Gillieston and Tenambit upgrades, Huntlee will see a new public preschool, primary school and high school, which will cater to residents in the western areas of Maitland and take pressure off the largest high school outside of the Sydney metro area, Rutherford Technology High School. The Government is spending $5 million on maintenance projects over the coming 12 months. At Maitland Grossmann High School, there will be a block D kitchen upgrade, concrete cancer treatment and facade refurbishment, in addition to the extensive asbestos remediation that has been done. Francis Greenway High School will have gutters and downpipes replaced on block E, and stormwater repairs. Maitland High School will have its technical and applied sciences facilities refurbished, including new carpet and equipment. Telarah Public School will get retaining walls and covered walkways as part of the preschool refurbishment.

Maitland East Public School will have building A's roof fixed. Maitland Public School will have the external sections of C block repainted. Tenambit Public School will get new carpet and painting in many of its blocks, work done to its carpark gates and covered walkway post replacement. Hunter River Community School will have new carpet installed. Morpeth Public School will get a wall in its demountable and a roof replaced. Thornton Public School will have vinyl and carpeting work completed. The Government is working with that school on its future expansion proposals. Lochinvar Public School will receive electrical upgrades. All of those projects are being undertaken as a way of addressing the significant backlog in education infrastructure in Maitland. That is in addition to the announcement of the Hunter TAFE centre of excellence, a $60 million investment to establish the Hunter Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Newcastle, which will help all of those young people who prepared so well throughout school to have a great TAFE experience.