Labor candidate for Calare, Dr Jess Jennings, released figures last week that he said would committee an extra $2,290,000 to Lithgow schools as part of a $24 million package for the Calate electorate. 

Growing up in a single parent household, in the care of his mother and grandparents, he said he understood the value of education. 

“If it wasn’t for public education, I don’t know where I would be today, I certainly would not have completed my PhD,” he said. 

“I am committed to providing additional funding because I am sick of seeing small towns like Lithgow left behind.”

According to Calare MP Andrew Gee, under the Federal Government’s Gonski 2.0 reforms, there is record funding for schools, and every school in the Lithgow area gets a funding boost.

“This record funding is backed by Gonski himself and is fully-funded,” he said. 

“I would like to see even more record funding and once the budget is back under control, I hope we can deliver that because education is the future of our country.

“What the Labor candidate hasn’t told people is that Labor’s promises are funded by taking away the tax rebates of retirees. More than 6,500 retirees in Calare stand to lose thousands of dollars from their nest egg every year under Labor’s proposed retiree tax.

“Education funding should not be about robbing Peter to pay Paul and I think the Labor Party needs to call a public meeting of retirees and explain to them why they’re being robbed of their retirement money.”

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Dr Jennings said Mr Gee should match Labor’s promise, instead of trying to to change the subject to dispute the Opposition's dividend imputation reform measures.

Labor’s promised spend on Lithgow schools included: