Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sallyanne Atkinson, the former Liberal Lord Mayor of Brisbane, said:

Apart from his personal skills (and his considerable charm) he has a Bachelor of Commerce degree, a background in banking, and some experience in our industry as Federal Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

Question negatived.

This is an excellent example of the failure of the Liberal and National parties to understand what accountability in education is about. It is an excellent example because this was one of their own: the former National Party minister responsible for this industry who, on leaving this parliament, virtually went straight onto the board of the largest childcare provider in this country, supposedly as an independent director, which he was not. (Quorum formed) This example of Larry Anthony, supposedly an independent director of ABC Learning Centres, is the best possible example of those opposite’s complete lack of understanding of accountability in education or indeed in public administration generally. This same Larry Anthony was described by the company in several annual reports as an independent, non-executive director, and those same annual reports record that in 2006 he received some $43,000 in fees and superannuation and in 2007 received some $65,000 in fees and superannuation—

I will ask the member for Isaacs to refer to the bill before us. I would contend that perhaps the member for Isaacs is now straying from the bill and I would like him to bring his remarks back to the bill.

I will move back to the bill by leaving on this point: the fact is that of course Larry Anthony was not at all independent. As a consultant he received fees of $110,000 for the year ending 30 June 2006 and $125,000 for the year ending 30 June 2007. Will Larry Anthony now accept responsibility—

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Perhaps the member speaking can talk about his fees from the Labor government in Victoria—

The member for Warringah will resume his seat. Points of order are not for abuse of the parliament. The member for Isaacs will continue on the bill.

I fear, given the tradition of those opposite, the Liberal Party and the National Party and their limited understanding of accountability, that we will not be seeing Larry Anthony taking any of the blame for the debacle of ABC Learning Centres, given the relationship between this former minister responsible for child care and the company is just too cosy.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. You have appropriately asked the member to bring his remarks back to the legislation. I do believe he is defying your ruling.

The member for Warringah will resume his seat. The member for Isaacs has the call.

We hope that when those opposite stand again to speak about accountability and why it is that there should not be accountability by private institutions operating in the education sector—be that in early childhood, in primary, in secondary or, indeed, in tertiary education—they will bear in mind the kind of debacle that has occurred in ABC Learning Centres involving one of their own, where the lack of accountability and the lack of transparency can really be said to have brought this about. This cosy relationship was so cosy that Eddie Groves of ABC Learning Centres gave $50,000 to the National Party in 2007 in the run-up to the last election. The idea of accountability, which those opposite have spoken about regularly in education bills throughout this year, is a notion that they do not understand. The government does. We are looking for accountability when public funds are expended.

This bill is a key part of the education revolution that the Rudd government has embarked on. I commend the bill to the House.

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