Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

There is a very simple reason why those opposite would rather engage in slanging matches across the parliament, would rather talk about absolutely anything but the budget and the broken promises that each and every one of them told their constituents before the last election. The reason is that this budget is an absolute shambles. It is chaotic. It is a mess. There is absolutely nothing in this budget but cruelty, cuts and contradictions.

Mr Fletcher interjecting—

The member for Bradfield is shouting at the table. If he wanted to contribute he could actually have spoken about the budget, but none of the members opposite has wanted to do that. Maybe he could sit silently while I tell him about the cruelty contained in this budget. I will tell him exactly how this budget gives a hit to every single aspect of our education system, from early childhood to our schools to our higher education sector and to our VET program. When it comes to education, every Australian was betrayed by this budget after those opposite went throughout their communities promising 'no cuts to education'. Let's have a bit of a look at just how untrue that was. We know that right now the budget is having an impact on schools, universities, preschools, kindergartens and childcare centres in every single one of their electorates and right across this nation.

Unlike those opposite, we care. We want to talk about the contents of the budget because, unlike those opposite, we know that investing in education is the smartest investment a government can make for the future of our nation. We know that in government Labor took that responsibility seriously. We took on the biggest inquiry into our school system in 40 years. Then we set to work implementing those Gonski reforms. Australians knew it made sense—parents, teachers, schools and even Liberal premiers knew. They understood that the Gonski reforms were important, which is why those opposite, just before the election, decided to jump on board as well. They all yelled out: 'Me too. We're on a unity ticket. You can vote for us or you can vote for them and you will get exactly the same funding for your school.' This budget shows just how cynical that was. It is ordinary students, parents and teachers out there who are now left to pay the price of that betrayal.

The budget paper sets out in black and white the extent of that betrayal. We have seen $6.5 billion ripped from years 5 and 6 of the Gonski funding reforms. The government have gone back on their promise to implement the model and stand by the agreement. But those opposite are not content with that. The government, who claimed that they would be a government of no surprises and no excuses, included a bit of a surprise in this chaotic budget. The very large and very nasty surprise was the biggest ever funding cut to Australian schools—$30 billion dollars ripped out of our schools.

We know that these cuts are having an impact right now. They add to the $1 billion that those opposite have already cut ensuring that there will be no more trades training centres across the country. Despite the fact that as recently as this week we have had coalition members standing up in this parliament and talking about how great the trades training centre that they have just opened in their electorate is, each and every one of them have supported cuts that ensure that not a single additional school will have access to one of these.

We know that schools need certainty to plan and to deliver the best results of students. When it comes to education, all that this budget has delivered is uncertainty and chaos in every classroom across Australia. Right now there are extension programs which will not go ahead. There are literacy and numeracy programs, language and sports choices, music and drama programs, and new subjects, that schools simply cannot commit to because of the dark cloud of cuts which this government and this budget have cast over every school in this nation. There are preschools out there that do not know if they can even take enrolments next year, because of the uncertainty of the universal access funding.

The most despicable part of all of this is what we have heard in the last 48 hours. We have seen enough attacks on education and we have seen enough cuts. Now we hear the threat that there are more secret cuts to come. We know that our schools could be forced to pay an even heavier price for this government's terrible budget, this government's broken promise and this government's cruelty when it comes to the future of every Australian seeking a good quality education.

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