Building on announcements we made to invest more in schools based on the Gonski Funding, we made more announcements in the first week.  I have to tell you in 2016 that we are having a genuine national debate about whether better investment in schools pays off.   

Funding for the programs boosts access to new technology for families which don’t have it at home; which provides children with access to technology which they need to survive in this rapidly changing world. 

There is a real choice in this election. We in the Labor Party believe that every child should have the investment, to reach their full potential.

It offends us that in 2016 your parent’s wealth greatly determine your education outcomes. We want to fix it.  It’s  very bad – people are losing the ability to make a full contribution to society.  If you go to a school which has less resources, if you come from a family who has less, you are not less intelligent than anybody else. 

We’ll make a case for bold change; the nation needs big changes and we have taken the decision not to hide what we want to do before an election but to be upfront about it. 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (excerpt)

HENRY GAGE: I want to ask you about your views on refugees. What is your thinking about these people who are coming from Iraq, Syria and Sudan, Egypt?

CHRIS BOWEN: We think that Australia has an obligation to provide safe haven to people fleeing persecution and we think we can do more.  We can take more refugees; 27,000 is the number so far.  We think that refugees have given back to Australia.  You will see small businesses in our electorate run by refugees.  At the same time, we want it to happen safely and fair to all. That means some tough decisions on our borders; that means turning around but it also means that we stop drownings at sea.