Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion. Would the Deputy Prime Minister detail progress made to date with implementing the Building the Education Revolution initiative?

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

I thank the member for Oxley for his question. I had the opportunity to be in his electorate last week, where we held a seminar with the school principals in his electorate to talk about the Building the Education Revolution initiative. What was remarkable is that people who care about education and people who lead schools were delighted to see this program and were full of energy and goodwill in working with the government in delivering it. People who care about education have that approach to this program. They want to be there; they want to be working with the government delivering it.

What was also remarkable was that these school leaders could see that this not only was going to be of benefit to their school through the new facilities and upgrades that it promised but was going to be of benefit to their community, because they understand, in a way that members of the Liberal Party in this House clearly do not, that the global financial crisis and global recession are going to impact on their communities. So they want to be part of a program that will make a long-term difference to education and that will make a difference to economic activity and support jobs in their local community.

People who care about education and people who care about jobs have shown that goodwill at all levels. The Prime Minister, on 6 February, hosted a forum here for education stakeholders. It was attended by around 50 people. Once again, there was energy and enthusiasm for this investment in education and this support for local jobs. The program guidelines have now been released, and I can report that since 4 February there have been eight meetings with all state and territory education departments and the various block grant authorities of the Catholic and independent schools systems. In addition, there has been work and discussion with the Australian principals forum and the independent schools association. All of this work is going in so that the program can be delivered. It is ambitious in its delivery time. We want to deliver it quickly. And those who care about education and those who care about supporting local jobs, like the people I have just referred to, are working alongside us.

It is startling to me that, when you survey the education community and the people who do care about its future, there is that degree of enthusiasm, yet in this House amongst members opposite there is the degree of opposition and catcalling that we have seen displayed towards this program.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What happened to working families? When did you last say ‘working families’?

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

The shadow Treasurer, who interjects now, described it as ridiculous. The member for Warringah described it as a low-quality spend. And, of course, the Leader of the Opposition leads the Liberal Party in voting against this program and voting against the jobs that it will support. It should cause Liberal members to reflect, when they see the education community seizing this historic investment—this huge opportunity to have 21st-century facilities in schools—that they are there opposed.

There was discussion and debate in this House today about opening ceremonies in relation to this program, and I will reiterate what I said then—that of course schools will be able to invite local members opposite. I sincerely hope they come, because when they go to those opening ceremonies the only honest way for those Liberal Party members to conduct themselves would be to say, in front of the assembled parents, principals, teachers and students, that they are members of the Liberal Party, they do not believe that facility should have been built, they do not believe that it should be there for students, they do not believe that it should be there for teachers, they do not believe that it should be there for principals, they voted against it and, had they been in government, it would not have happened. That would be the only honest way for them to conduct themselves when they go, and I trust that they will go and conduct themselves in that honest way and say, ‘We were opposed to all of this.’