Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Someone’s going out in a box! My question is to the Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and Minister for Social Inclusion. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on what the government is doing to invest in education infrastructure and on the reaction from local members to this investment?

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

I thank the member for Braddon for his question and for his bringing of decorum into the House. The member for Braddon would be welcoming the 75 projects in his electorate under the Building the Education Revolution program. I know he is a member who cares very passionately about the state of his local schools and also about supporting jobs in his electorate and would be welcoming those 75 projects, under Building the Education Revolution, which are part of the 93 projects in total in his electorate worth $35.3 million. Of course these projects are just some of the more than 15,000 projects that have been approved through the opening rounds of the National School Pride program and the Primary Schools for the 21st Century program. The great unknown about these programs is not which schools have benefited so far but whether or not the Leader of the Opposition supports this expenditure on these schools, a question I hope he clarifies after question time.

When he is clarifying that question, he may, during the course of question time, want to look into the galleries above us where we are expecting, during the course of question time and in the House today, to see Sacred Heart Primary School, from the member for Mackellar’s electorate; Pymble Ladies College, from the member for Bradfield’s electorate, Green Point Christian College, from the member for Robertson’s electorate; St Gertrude’s Primary School, from the member for Prospect’s electorate; and Hornsby Heights Public School, from the member for Berowra’s electorate. I would also ask the Leader of the Opposition to note, as he contemplates whether or not he should say he supports this expenditure, that these schools have received assistance from our National School Pride program for things like the refurbishment of classrooms and schoolgrounds, the construction of new shade structures and general refurbishment. I note that individually some of these schools have benefited already under our Primary Schools for the 21st Century program with $2 million going to Hornsby Heights Public School, $3 million to Green Point Christian College and $2.5 million going to Sacred Heart Primary School. This is important national expenditure about the future of our schools and about supporting jobs today. It is expenditure that every member of the opposition voted against. It was consequently with some surprise that I read a media release put out by the member for Bowman on 12 May where he says, having come into this House and voted against this expenditure:

11 Redlands schools will receive major building grants worth a total of more than $26 million, Federal Member Andrew Laming announced today.

It goes on:

I am a strong supporter of any investment in educational infrastructure like language and science laboratories.

So he is a supporter of any investment in educational infrastructure when he is putting out a media release in his electorate. What he cannot do is bring himself into the parliament and vote for it when it is under consideration by this House. I know that the surname of the member for Bowman is Laming but I think the behaviour by those opposite would be better caught under the word ‘lemming’. Lemmings are rodents famous for throwing themselves over cliffs in herds.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Under the standing orders, Mr Speaker, you are required to keep order in this House and the actions of the Deputy Prime Minister in using demeaning language against a member in this House is also precluded by the standing orders and she should be made to apologise and withdraw. It is highly unseemly and brings nothing but dishonour on her herself.

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

Order! The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.

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

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and there is nothing like getting lectured by the party of Wilson Tuckey on parliamentary standards. But of course, Mr Speaker, you would be aware of the myth of the lemming and to quote the ABC science website, ‘This myth is now a metaphor—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Again under the standing orders when somebody draws a point of order it is required to be ruled upon. I would ask you to rule upon my point of order.

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

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. I ruled on the point of order by giving the call to the Deputy Prime Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister.

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

As the website says, ‘This myth is now a metaphor for the behaviour of crowds of people who foolishy follow each other lemming-like regardless of the consequences.’ Well, who does that remind you of, Mr Speaker? I think the lemming-like Liberal Party of Australia.