Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the call today from the Australian Education Union for the school stimulus debacle to be reviewed to determine, amongst other things, if costs are being inflated. Now that the union movement, the opposition, school principals, governing council chairs, education and building experts and parents across Australia are highlighting waste and mismanagement in this program, will he go over the top of the Minister for Education and refer the school stimulus debacle to the Auditor-General?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government, since its election, has been committed to the education revolution. The government, since the stimulus strategy of February this year, is committed to building the education revolution through the single largest school modernisation program that this country has ever seen. As a consequence of that, we are out there working with state and territory governments rolling out projects in 7,500 primary schools across the nation. We are rolling out refurbishment programs for classrooms and other facilities within schools across all of Australia’s 10,000 primary and secondary schools, government and non-government. On top of that, we have provided investment for new language centres and new science centres for at least 500 or so of Australia’s 2,500 secondary schools. This is because we believe that the kids of today, who will become the leaders of tomorrow, deserve first-class facilities in which to learn—state-of-the-art libraries, state-of-the-art science centres and state-of-the-art language centres—and because we are interested in preparing our kids for the future.

I notice that those opposite have a variable record on their degree of support for this program. I note in particular the levels of enthusiasm of various members representing the interests of their constituencies. I refer in particular to a recent communication by our good old friend the member for Macarthur to his constituents. I have here a little communication between—

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

On relevance, Mr Speaker. Perhaps the Prime Minister did not hear the question. It was not about the support for infrastructure, it was about waste and mismanagement in government spending.

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

Order! The member will resume his seat.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Here we have Pat—good to see you, mate!—who says in his local communication:

I am working hard to ensure that more gets done for our community. Record levels of Australian Government funding are now going to our local schools, the literacy standards of our children have increased, as have the number of apprenticeships and there is significant Australian Government investment in our local hospitals,…

One thing about our colleagues opposite is that they are always on song! The member for Macarthur is reflecting the fact that all honourable members opposite—and also the members of the government—want to see this program being implemented on the ground. That is why, from the very beginning, the government issued these Building the Education Revolution guidelines. We have said from the beginning, when these guidelines were issued in February, that we would have proposals out there for projects under rounds 1 and 2 of the National School Pride and rounds 1 and 2 of the Primary Schools for the 21st Century to provide to the Commonwealth and to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to assess the eligibility of each proposal against the guidelines. Furthermore, the approval process is that the Commonwealth assesses projects against the guidelines and then recommends funding, which should enable each project to commence. It then goes on to say the guidelines are clear about what projects are not to be funded. The guidelines include new iconic facilities, such as libraries, multipurpose halls, classrooms, upgrading facilities in primary schools, science laboratories and language learning centres. The ever-interjecting member for Sturt seems to welcome funding for his schools on the one hand yet on the other hand stands at the dispatch box and attacks that funding—not that there is any opportunism in that, but I will just leave his constituents to make that judgment.

We also say—and this is in the guidelines:

If a school considers that a proposed allocation of funding under the BER program is not in accordance with the BER guidelines, the school may put its concerns in writing to the National BER Co-ordinator who may, where appropriate, after considering the objectives of the BER program and the BER guidelines, discuss the school’s concerns with the relevant State/Territory or BGA for the purposes of ensuring that funding is allocated in accordance with the BER guidelines.

The bottom line is this: when you are rolling out constructions at 7½ thousand schools across the country, there are always going to be disagreements on the ground about what should occur. That is natural; that is normal. As I said way back then, there are always going to be bumps in the road. But here we have got a clear statement in the guidelines that, if there are problems experienced by individual P&Cs and P&Fs, there is an appropriate point at which to lodge a concern and to have that concern heard.

The Leader of the Opposition seems to have disappeared since he asked the question. Where is he?

Honourable Member:

An honourable member—He is behind the Speaker’s chair.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the Leader of the Opposition is paying attention to the question that he just asked, I say to him, as I say to other members: given his statement of principled concern about Building the Education Revolution projects, does he object to the way in which these moneys are being invested in these schools: $3 million in Ascham School at Edgecliff; $2 million in Bondi Beach Public School at Bondi—are there problems there?; $3 million in Cranbrook School; $2½ million in Kambala at Rose Bay; $2 million in Kesser Torah College at Dover Heights; $2½ million in Kincoppal-Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart; $2½ million in Montessori East at Bondi; and $850,000 in Moriah College at Bondi Junction—do I hear any interjections about that? No. There is also Plunkett Street Public School, with $789,000; Reddam House Woollahra, with $250,000—I am waiting for an objection from the Leader of the Opposition; St Anthony’s Primary School in Clovelly; St Catherine’s School in Waverley; St Charles’ Primary School in Waverley; Sydney Grammar School in Edgecliff; Scots College—

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

Mr Hockey interjecting

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am going through the list here: Waverley College, Waverley Public School, Yeshiva College, Bondi—

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

Mr Hockey interjecting

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

Member for North Sydney!

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

Mr Hockey interjecting

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

The member for North Sydney is warned!

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am waiting to hear for which of those allocations to which of those schools in the member for Wentworth’s electorate he believes he has a problem with the funding. I have not heard him issue a statement about which of those he has a problem with the funding for. I am sure that the Leader of the Opposition will in the debate on matters of public importance—it being Thursday—stand up and tell us for which of those schools he objects to the funding. What it goes to highlight is the fundamental double standards and opportunism of this entire debate. We have said from the outset that there would be funding for schools—government and non-government, primary and secondary—

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

Mr Hockey interjecting

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

The member for North Sydney will leave the chamber for one hour under 94(a).

The member for North Sydney then left the chamber.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to provide stimulus to the economy to support jobs, business and apprenticeships today while building the education infrastructure we need for tomorrow. That is the government’s program—it is building the education revolution. When it comes to the individual appeal processes within it, they are amply described in the guidelines, which were put out when the program was first released in February and they should be deployed by any concerned P&Cs and P&Fs.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table a press release from the Australian Education Union.

Leave not granted.