Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Hansard source

Exactly! Ten thousand dollars would not even pay for a free lunch with Anna Bligh or any of the Queensland ministers at one of their fundraisers. But this Mr Lester has to find $10,000, as he says, just to prove that he is abiding by the standard that he is already abiding by.

We have good examples like that from my good friend and colleague the member for Kalgoorlie of Perenjori Primary School, where he shows that there have been overinflated costs—an amazing inflation from $527,000 to $950,000 in two months. What does the minister say about that? She cannot hear it. There is nothing wrong with her scheme, nothing wrong with her programs. The minister never makes a mistake. We saw on Q&A the other night, with the young audience, that the minister never makes a mistake. It is always somebody else’s fault. It is the state government’s fault or it is the fault of the other members of the frontbench or it is the opposition’s fault or it is the Australian Education Union’s fault or it is the state Premier’s fault. But it is never the minister’s fault. The young people were horrified that the minister would not take responsibility for these failings. Why won’t the minister hear the chorus of discontent that is growing to a roar in the community about her failure to deliver on any of her programs or any of her responsibilities? No. Like Marie Antoinette, she says, ‘They can eat cake.’

The list goes on. Schools are being forced to build Julia Gillard memorial school halls, complete with $3½ million worth of plaques, when they really want something else. One very brave principal, Henry Grossek from Berwick Lodge Primary School, stood up to the government and he succeeded. They wanted to force him to have a gym, but he already had a gym. They told him: ‘You’ve got $3 million for a gym.’ He said, ‘But I’ve already got a gym,’ and they said, ‘You’ll miss out in the first round if you don’t take the gym.’ He said, ‘Well, I’m going to stand up to you.’

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