ACT public schools will receive millions of dollars for new classrooms and upgrades if ACT Labor is re-elected in October.
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Labor leader Katy Gallagher will announce an extra $70 million in public school infrastructure funding today as she sets out their vision for ''teachers and students in need''.
This follows Labor's announcement yesterday of a $5.5 million plan to create hundreds of new childcare places across the territory.
Labor has promised to release land for new centres in Belconnen, Tuggeranong and Woden. If re-elected, the party will spend $4.5 million to expand existing community-based centres and create up to 100 new childcare places.
Community Services Minister Joy Burch said the party would also release at least three blocks of land for new centres, which would allow for about 120 new places per site.
Labor committed to spending $740,000 on Certificate III scholarships to allow early-childhood workers to further their education. The party will also offer additional $6000 scholarships for workers wishing to do their degree in early-childhood education. ''This package together, I think, will deal with two big areas that we hear about from families all the time,'' Ms Gallagher said.
Today marks ACT Labor's official campaign launch, which Ms Gallagher said would focus on health, education and jobs, despite an onslaught from the Canberra Liberals over taxation policy.
The Liberals' attack via TV advertising began on commercial stations last night, claiming ''Labor or Greens equals triple rates''.
Labor has accused the opposition of running with a campaign it says is ''based on a lie'' and insists rates will rise on average by just $2.35 a week.
''Obviously their research is telling them they've got 35 days to make or break so they're going to run a scare campaign,'' Ms Gallagher said. ''I don't think we should disintegrate into that type of campaigning, it's classic Tony Abbott and the carbon tax.
''We will respond and you can only respond by telling the truth and that's what we'll do.''
Labor will unveil its entire education policy at today's campaign launch, which will include a minimum of $17 million extra per year for decades-old schools in desperate need of refurbishments.
The money will be used to build and expand classrooms, refurbish toilets, changerooms and shower blocks, upgrade playground and sporting equipment and install rainwater tanks and gardens.
Ms Gallagher will use her speech to highlight key ''philosophical'' differences between the parties on education and will announce the investments on top of the existing $4 billion in budgeted recurrent funding for education.
Ms Gallagher said today's launch focused on what the party believed the city should become.
''It will be focusing on what I think the three key strengths of our city are,'' she said.
''We know we've got to wean ourselves off the Commonwealth, we've got to be a city in our own right.
''It's all very well to talk about municipal services - but if you have no plan for health, jobs or education, it won't matter because you actually won't need too many local government services if you haven't built up those pillars.''