Federal Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek welcomed the funding and
said the Budget set a new benchmark by delivering pre-election promises.
Ms Plibersek said it also put working families in Sydney at the centre of the Rudd Government’s commitments
to tackle inflation and set the building blocks for a stronger, more modern Australia.
“At the centre of the Budget is a $55-billion Working
Families Support Package that delivers on the tax cuts we committed to in the
election and helps Australian families with childcare and education costs,’ Ms
Plibersek said.
“The Budget also contains a $40-billion investment in Australia’s
future to fund new and improved roads, hospitals and schools.
“By making Australia’s finances more
sustainable, we can now start
investing in the schools, hospitals, road, rail and
communications projects people in Sydney
rely on every day but were neglected by our predecessors.”
She welcomed the announcement of a special one-off payment
to both the University of Sydney and University
of Technology, Sydney.
The funding was announced as part of an extra $500 million
to Australian universities to help them rebuild their infrastructure.
The University
of Sydney will receive
$35.2 million and UTS will receive $13.7 million for information and
communications technology, laboratories, libraries and student study spaces,
teaching spaces and student amenities.
The funding will provide support for high-quality education,
student amenities such as childcare facilities and boost research capacity.
“After 11 years of neglect under the Howard Government,
this payment will help both universities to improve their campus
infrastructure,”
Ms Plibersek said. “I am delighted that the University of Sydney
and the University
of Technology will
receive this funding. It is fantastic for the Sydney area.”
Funding has also been allocated to cancer research and
treatment centres around the country, including $50 million over three years
for the Comprehensive Cancer Centre, located within The Royal Prince Alfred
Hospital at Camperdown.
Photo: Craig Wilson: Universities stand to benefit from this
year’s Federal Budget.
Source: Central of 21 May2008.