The first term back to school in 2020 has already been a scorcher for thousands of Sunshine Coast kids, with temperatures soaring towards 40 degrees in classrooms.
Shadow Minister for Education and Member for Kawana, Jarrod Bleijie, said teachers and students on the Sunshine Coast had been suffering in hot classrooms for too long.
“Currently there are teachers and students sweltering in classrooms all around the Sunshine Coast with no air-conditioning,” Mr Bleijie said.
“The Palaszczuk government refuses to provide any air conditioning for Sunshine Coast schools, yet is happy to provide funding to Brisbane based schools, including nine schools in the Premier’s own electorate of Inala.”
In response to a Question Without Notice in Parliament today, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk refused to answer why nine schools in her own electorate had received funding for air conditioning, whilst not one single school on the Gold or Sunshine Coast had received funding for a single classroom.
Mr Bleijie said the Premier’s response was pathetic and laughable.
“The Premier actually suggested in her response that the Sunshine Coast doesn’t have humidity issues – it is either incredibly naive of the Premier, or just deliberately misleading,” he said.
“Perhaps if the Premier actually visited our region occasionally, she might get a better understanding of our weather patterns and the humidity we experience, particularly in our school classrooms.
“I challenge the Premier to get out of her air-conditioned office, be driven in her air-conditioned limo to the Sunshine Coast, and actually sit in the classroom of one of our local schools for an hour – I doubt she’d last 15 minutes.
Mr Bleijie said it’s unfair that teachers and students have to slug it out in hotboxes while all other government buildings have the benefit of air conditioning.
“The Labor government continues to refuse to match the LNP’s commitment and after promising 300 schools would have air-conditioning installed over the Christmas holidays, couldn’t even reach half that number.
“They’ve botched the roll out, refused to air-condition any classroom on the Sunshine Coast, and now demonstrate utter contempt and arrogance for our region by claiming humidity issues are the reason they won’t provide funding.”
