Steph Cooke MP
Member for Cootamundra

Wednesday, 23 September 2026 Year 12 students across the electorate will graduate from high school this week as they prepare for life after school. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke is wishing them all the best in whatever direction they take and is sorry to miss the graduation events because of a sitting week in Parliament in Sydney. “I wish I could be there to congratulate everyone in person,” Ms Cooke said. “Every student should be incredibly proud of all that they h

Tuesday, 22 September 2026​ Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke congratulated Weethalle Public School on 100 years of education in the community during its centenary event on Saturday September 19, 2026. Weethalle Public School principal Jason Hurley, school leader Bree Jolly, Steph Cooke MP, NSW Department of Education Director of Leadership Benn Wright and Bland Shire Council Mayor Lisa Minogue. The celebration of this milestone was commemorated through a fantastic event hos

Working families in Gooloogong are being forced to cut back on work and travel long distances for care, as the town continues to wait for certainty regarding early childhood education and after-school services. The local P&C says families feel they have been ‘strung along’ after three years of working in good faith with the NSW Labor Government without a clear outcome or commitment. Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, said the community had waited long enough for answers

​​Tuesday, 1 November 2022 Creating the next generation of leaders in STEM is the focus of the proposed new Science and Technology syllabuses unveiled today for consultation as part of the NSW Government’s delivery of the most comprehensive Curriculum Reform in a generation. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke encouraged community members to be a part of this consultation. “These new syllabuses have been designed to better prepare young people in the region for further study

​​Tuesday, 25 October 2022​ After the success of a pilot scheme last year, temporary teachers and support staff across the region could be offered permanent roles as part of the NSW Government's plans to shift up to 10,000 surplus teachers and support staff into permanent positions. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke welcomed the NSW Government plans, which from early next year will see temporary teachers and Student Learning Support Officers in areas of need across the reg

​​Friday, 14 October 2022​ Government, Independent and Catholic schools across the region will join forces to introduce a unique cross-sector agreement to lift behaviour standards in schools. This includes providing greater support for dealing with disruptive students by introducing the role of NSW Chief Behaviour Advisor to lead on best practice for improving and maintaining respectful student behaviour across the State. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke welcomes the init

​​Tuesday, 16 November 2021​ New English and Mathematics syllabuses for the State’s youngest students were released today, marking a major milestone in the NSW Government’s Curriculum Reform agenda.   This is a comprehensive review that has come in more than 30 years, with year 1 and year 2 to be the first to benefit from the changes.   Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the Liberals & Nationals Government are making the changes to the education space that will benefit

​​Friday, 22 October 2021​ The NSW Government will allocate a record $19.4 million to 63 public schools across the Cootamundra electorate in 2022. This week schools will receive their School Budget Allocation Report which includes funding allocated through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM), a needs based funding model that ensures record funding is targeted at supporting the individual needs of students. The funding for the Cootamundra electorate is part of a total annual

​​Friday, 27 August 2021​ Today the NSW Government announced a return to school plan for students and staff. The plan included a staggered return to face-to-face learning from October, the delay of HSC exams until November and the introduction of mandatory vaccinations for school staff. Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke said the development of proactive plans to get students within the electorate, back into classrooms as soon as it is deemed safe to do so will give teacher

​​Thursday, 5 August 2021​ The NSW Government is continuing to prioritise student wellbeing by ensuring a strong pipeline of qualified mental health professionals in our schools. The impacts of COVID-19, drought, flooding and bushfires have played out within our school communities, making mental health a key challenge facing young people across the state. Our Government is committed to supporting students through these challenges by providing over 80 scholarships this year

​​Tuesday, 17 November 2020​ Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has welcomed a range of measures in the 2020/21 NSW Budget for education and schools. Ms Cooke said communities across the electorate would have access to a suite of programs including tutoring, free preschool, digital infrastructure upgrades and school improvements. “This is a budget dedicated to rural and regional NSW, and I am so pleased it is focusing on improving our schools and the opportunities for our

​​Tuesday, 10 November 2020​ For the first time in NSW, students will receive free tutoring in 2021 thanks to a landmark $337 million program as part of the NSW 2020-2021 Budget. This program will provide support for students after a disruptive school year. The Government will employ up to 5500 additional staff to deliver small-group tuition at every NSW government school, as well as non-government schools with the most significant levels of need. Member for Cootamundra St

​​Monday, 2 November 2020​ Students and their parents in the Cootamundra electorate are being encouraged to embrace mathematics with a new campaign aiming to shift attitudes towards the subject. The campaign is part of a broader NSW mathematics strategy, which is supporting schools and students to succeed in this critical subject. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said mathematics is part of life and we need to encourage our kids to take on maths with a positive attitude.

​​Monday, 26 October 2020​ Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke MP welcomes an extension of the NSW Government Drought Entitlement Maintenance Program to 2023 to keep teachers in rural schools. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro and Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell have announced an extension of the program, continuing the NSW Government’s support for regional communities hardest hit by drought and bushfires by locking in staff numbers at local sch

​​Thursday, 1 October 2020​ A trial to provide public schools across the Cootamundra electorate with more casual teachers will begin in Term 1, 2021. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said that the trials were using two pilot programs to explore ways of boosting the number of casual teachers in regional NSW. “I am so pleased the Department is seeking to employ two casuals based in Gundagai who would be available to schools across the region. These trials will offer would-be

29 January 2020 With hundreds of students and teachers heading back to school today around the region, Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke would like to wish everyone all the best for the 2020 school year. “With 79 schools in the electorate, this week is a busy time for everyone,” she said. “For those starting off on their first day of Kindergarten, to the Year 12s beginning their final year of school, I am so excited for what 2020 holds for each and every one of you.” “The h

Tuesday, July 3 2018 Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke MP hosted NSW Minister for Early Education Sarah Mitchell in the Cootamundra electorate today, to spread the word about the Budget’s big wins for early childhood education. Three year olds will be the first in Australia to benefit from Government subsidised preschool education as part of the NSW Government’s $197 million investment in the NSW 2018-19 Budget. The new funding, part of the NSW Government’s Start Strong pr

​​Thursday, 14 June 2018​ Children and families from around Cowra will benefit from a brand new mobile preschool venue, Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke announced today. Ms Cooke said she is proud the NSW Government is ensuring all children, no matter whether they are from Cootamundra or Coogee, have access to top quality early childhood education. “It gives me great pleasure to announce an initial $60,000 grant from the NSW Government to establish a new mobile preschool v

Monday, June 4 2018 Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke is urging all diploma-qualified early childhood educators in Cootamundra to consider applying for a scholarship to boost their qualifications. Time is almost up to apply for the next round of the NSW Government’s Rural and Remote Early Childhood Education scholarships, closing on June 9 2018. Ms Cooke said these scholarships have already had an impact on services across Cootamundra and NSW. “Since this scholarship progra

March 9, 2018 Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke today announced students and teachers at Temora West Public School, Gundagai Public School and Ariah Park Central School will get new and improved facilities thanks to more than $100,000 in NSW Government grants. Temora West Public School will receive $25,000 to upgrade their games courts, Gundagai Public School will get $60,000 for a new covered outdoor learning area (COLA) and Ariah Park Central School will receive $20,000 f