Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and once again, because we do not have accurate questions from the shadow minister for education, I will check what he has asserted, because we know from former question times that assertions made by the opposition about Building the Education Revolution and about the government’s education policies generally turn out to be completely spurious when investigated.

What I can say to the shadow minister—and he may or may not be interested because the degree of seriousness with which he takes his education work is always something to be doubted—is that the government is absolutely determined that the Building the Education Revolution program is an addition to investment that would have happened in any event as a result of state budgets. We work constantly with our state and territory colleagues to deliver that program. The sanctions that can be applied under the agreements that surround the Building the Education Revolution program are serious ones and they are understood by our state and territory colleagues.

Can I reiterate: for a man who earlier in question time was yelling at me, ‘What about Gepps Cross school?’ only to be humiliated when his claim was found to be ridiculous—

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