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

Claims by Peta Credlin and Miranda Devine, published in the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun on 9 October, allege that fraud in the family day care sector has occurred as a result of the National Quality Framework, which, as the minister, I introduced, and have either stated or implied that I am responsible for this fraud. The facts are: (1) there is no link between the National Quality Framework, which regulates the quality and safety of services, and the decisions of individuals to defraud the Commonwealth by claiming subsidies for which they are not eligible; (2) the current minister for education has himself confirmed that there is not a link between the National Quality Framework and fraud in the family day care sector; and (3) I cannot be held responsible for a billion dollar blow-out in this program, which has occurred under the current government, whilst three Liberal ministers have been asleep at the wheel. I would suggest that Peta Credlin is showing that she makes about as good a journalist as she did a chief of staff.

See this speech in context