Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hasluck for his question. I am bemused by the member for Shortland's amusement at this because I would have thought this was good news in the government's budget, very good news.

Ms Hall interjecting—

The member for Hasluck thinks it is good news and I would have thought that you would have thought it was good news as well. Your government actually did not put the money in the budget into the future in the forward estimates. It took me as the minister for education to deliver universal access at $843 million into the future, because the Labor government had another funding cliff in the budget. I would have thought the member for Shortland would have been pleased with the government's decision. This is an unadulteratedly good news story in this budget, which the member for Hasluck has picked up on. I am not sure the member for Shortland realises the implication.

Under the Labor Party, if they had remained in power, the national partnership agreement would have come to an end and students who are currently getting 15 hours minimum preschool a week at the age of four would have no longer continued to be funded. Let's put that in perspective. Before universal access, in Queensland in 2008 there were no students enrolled in a preschool program for 15 hours or more. By 2013, this number had increased to 95 per cent. In Tasmania in 2008, only six per cent of students were enrolled in a preschool program for 15 hours or more. By 2013, this number had increased to 97 per cent. So the Liberal Party certainly welcome this focus on universal access for preschool for four-year-olds.

I am lucky to come from a state that initiated kindergarten in the 1950s and therefore has had kindergarten as part of our education system for 60 years. But that has not been the case nationally. I give the previous government credit. The previous government initiated this program but then did not fund it beyond 2014. It took this government to find the offsetting savings to make sure that students at the age of four continue to get a minimum of 15 hours support week universal access to preschool.

It is a very good news story and it will mean that every child in Australia who is aged four will be able to go to preschool for 15 hours minimum, supported and subsidised by the Commonwealth taxpayer. That will improve our education outcomes. It will have a long-term impact on literacy, numeracy and social engagement, especially for families of disadvantaged backgrounds, who will be able to get a real go at a lifetime of good quality education from the age of four onwards. And Western Australia alone—and the member for Hasluck is from Western Australia—over the course of the program will receive $307 million of support under the universal access policy.

I was very pleased that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training, Senator Scott Ryan, took responsibility for this particular area of the Education portfolio. He has done a very good job in convincing the Treasurer, the Prime Minister, and the Expenditure Review Committee. I have to say there was a lot of support within the coalition party room for continuing the universal access model. Whether it was the member for Hindmarsh, the member for Gilmore, the member for Hasluck, the member for Lindsay, the member for Ryan, the member for Corangamite or many other members, there was a lot of lobbying and support for the government continuing universal access.

I would have thought that, rather than being churlish about it, the Labor Party would have been congratulating the government—you can hold the applause—on continuing one of their programs, finding the money to make sure that four-year-olds in Australia had access to a minimum of 15 hours preschool a week.

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