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

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer the Acting Prime Minister to the government’s failure to deliver a laptop computer to more than 10 per cent of government school students in the last year. The state of New South Wales cannot afford the second round of the program. The ACT and South Australia have stated that they are simply replacing old computers with new. Victoria is charging parents for the services and infrastructure associated with the program. Will the government at least commit to salvaging the computers in schools program by working with the states to appropriately fund the services and infrastructure that go with the computer hardware?

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

I thank the shadow minister for education for his question, though I note it contained a number of assertions which are simply untrue. I will now describe to the shadow minister for education what is happening with the digital education revolution, and he may choose to listen so that he ceases making publicly a series of claims about this that are untrue. When we came to government, we inherited a situation where the world was moving on on new technology and the Liberal government had neglected that transformation in the way that students learn. We were elected to deliver a digital education revolution. We always said that this program would be delivered over a period of time. We budgeted for it—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Look at the election policy documents! We budgeted for it over a four-year period. Look at the election policy documents. I know that the Liberal Party struggle with the concept of promising things and then delivering them, but they should look at our election policy documents. We are delivering exactly as we promised. What we promised was a program that would bring computers to students in years 9 to 12. What we promised was that that program would start in the first six months of this year. What we have delivered is a program that started in the first six months of this year. We promised that applications would open in the first 100 days of government, and applications did open in the first 100 days of government. We then dealt with those applications, and those applications were called for from schools with the greatest need—that is, schools that had a ratio of students to computers of one to eight or worse.

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

Mr Pyne interjecting

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

The shadow minister is hurling abuse about non-government schools. I do not abuse schools in this country. I believe every school should be looked at, and we should be aiming for quality. In the first round of our digital education revolution we said that, whilst we want to bring computers to all students and all schools, we will focus on need.

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Acting Prime Minister is verballing me. I was pointing out that non-government schools can afford the services—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Sturt will resume his seat. There is no point of order. The member for Sturt will remain silent while the Acting Prime Minister is responding.

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

The shadow minister continues playing the politics of the past while we get on with delivering the learning tools of the future. Round 1 is delivered. Round 2 is in progress. There is money in the budget to deliver further rounds so we will deliver on exactly what we promised. There is money in the budget for curriculum development. There is money in the budget for teacher professional development.

In respect of the member’s claims that there are schools in Victoria that are being asked to fundraise to support this government’s program, that is not true. He knows that the school to which he refers, Lilydale, was fundraising for a different purpose, not to support this government’s program. The government have made a difference to 896 schools around the country already. We will continue delivering our education revolution. Can I say to the shadow minister, who plays this petty politics with his false statements wherever he goes: any day he could ring up Glenunga International High School in his electorate and tell them to send back the funding for their 416 computers. He could do that any day. We will see whether or not he does that. His failure to do that would be an indication that he understands this program is delivering good outcomes and it has delivered to a school in his own electorate.