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

No, you did start there. I am kind of glad that the shadow minister did because it gives me an opportunity to take the parliament through some correspondence I think is important. I will table it piece by piece. A letter of 15 May from the Hon. Julie Bishop, then the Minister for Education, Science and Training, to Lynne Kosky, then the Minister for Education and Training in Victoria. The letter, amongst other things, says:

I would like to highlight some key aspects of the recognition requirements that apply to official announcements and publicity material about funding projects, opening ceremonies in schools, and construction signs and plaques. Broadly, all publicity material, media releases, public announcements, construction signs and plaques must acknowledge the Australian government’s financial contribution. The Australian government minister must be invited to attend all school opening ceremonies and at least two months notice of such ceremonies must be given to my office. The proposed date must not be an Australian government parliamentary sitting day. The text for plaques must be sent to the Schools Liaison Officer in my parliamentary secretary’s office for approval, prior to the school opening.

She goes on to chide Lynne Kosky about the fact that a construction sign outside the Mount Erin Secondary College did not acknowledge the Australian government’s contribution to the capital works project. She goes on to chide Lynne Kosky about the fact that Jacinta Allan, a Victorian member of parliament, did not acknowledge the Australian government’s financial contribution to the Mount Erin Secondary College in a press release. She then goes on to chide Lynne Kosky that, although the member for Deakin, then a Liberal member of parliament, was invited to an opening ceremony, the then Minister for Education, Science and Training, Brendan Nelson, was not and that was a breach of the guidelines. I table that correspondence. But it is the first in a series, because she sends a second letter of 3 October and she is quite angry by then. She says:

I will only approve funding for projects that have not previously been announced by the Victorian government in the state budget, media statements, advices to schools or any other publicity material and where the Australian government contribution has not been appropriately recognised.

And then the piece de resistance: she had a letter about the lack of compliance with recognition requirements at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus School. She is very angry by now. She is very, very angry that she has not been appropriately recognised and that the Australian government coat of arms was not displayed on the sign, while the Victorian government logo was prominently placed at the top of the sign. She was very, very angry. The Flying Fruit Fly Circus is a great circus, but the real circus in here is the opposition. (Time expired)

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