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

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. I refer the Deputy Prime Minister to chapter 5 of the Grimes report, which suggests that funding to the non-government sector should be reconsidered as part of a non-government schools funding review in 2010. Minister, is the computers in schools program for non-government schools the first promise to go to the guillotine in the education revolution?

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

The answer to the member’s question is no. Non-government schools are full participants in the government’s digital education revolution. Every non-government school in this country will benefit through the digital education revolution program. Can I say to the shadow minister opposite that, actually, the only threat to the funding of non-government schools in this parliament is the members of the Liberal Party who are proposing to block the Schools Assistance Bill 2008 and prevent it delivering money to independent and non-government schools from the start of next year. Can I refer the shadow minister in that regard to the media release today of the Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales—I know you do not want to hear it—

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

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: clearly the minister was asked a question about the computers in schools program. She is now answering on the Schools Assistance Bill. How could that be relevant to the question of computers in schools?

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

I do not wish to get into the policy matters that have arisen. The wording of the question included, to put it into context, the review of non-government funding to schools.

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

Mr Pyne interjecting

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

I appreciate that, but that is the relevance rule that has been used in the past.

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

In the media release from the Association of Independent Schools, Dr Newcombe said:

What we don’t want is a situation where proposed amendments delay the bill until next year. This would be disastrous for many independent schools.

The political party in this parliament that is threatening the funding of independent schools is the Liberal Party. Under the Rudd Labor government’s digital education revolution, every independent school, every non-government school, every government school in this country will benefit through the program. The shadow minister should know that. What the shadow minister should do is stop playing politics and threatening funding for non-government schools from 1 January 2009.