Patrick Secker (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education. I refer the minister to comments made yesterday by Sam Williams, Chairman of the Naracoorte Primary School Council in my electorate, in which Mr Williams described how that school had been forced to use non-local contractors, at a cost of ‘about 2½ times dearer per square meter to have our buildings built’ than the non-government school in town. Can the minister explain how this represents value for money?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to get a question, while representing the Deputy Prime Minister, about education and infrastructure. An important part of the government’s commitment to infrastructure is indeed the $14.7 billion Building the Education Revolution fund. That is delivering infrastructure to every primary school in the country, including to the electorate of the member for Barker: Angaston Primary School, $950,000; Berri Primary School, $2 million; Bordertown, $2.5 million; Morgan, $2.5 million. All of these schools will benefit, including Naracoorte Primary School—and not just Naracoorte Primary School but Naracoorte South Primary School as well—because we on this side of the House are determined to deliver for every school in the country, no matter how unfortunate they might be in being represented by the member for Barker, who, of course, voted against this very project.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order, the question was specifically about comments from Sam Williams of Naracoorte Primary School Council in relation to the fact that they were paying 2½ times per square metre more—

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

Order! The member will resume her seat. The member will resume her seat!

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

There would be no need to shout if people listened first time up. The point of order is simply relevance. The minister is responding to the question. I would have thought that, if people were asking about value for money, the context of the program under which this was being funded and matters relating to that were of relevance.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asked about—

Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Dr Jensen interjecting

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

The minister will resume his seat. The member for Tangney will withdraw.

Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw, Mr Speaker.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have made it very clear and the Minister for Education has indeed made it very clear in this House that, where issues are raised, they will be dealt with. Indeed, I refer to the Australian article today which had an edited letter from the principal of the Berwick Lodge Primary School and—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, come on!

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

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order under standing order 104. The question about Berwick Lodge Primary School was asked earlier in question time. This was specifically about value for money at Naracoorte Primary School.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have here a letter. This goes to the question of when issues are raised about the rollout of the Building the Education Revolution program—precisely the question that was asked by the honourable member opposite. A letter from the federal member for La Trobe—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What, you do not want to hear what he had to say?

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

The minister will resume his seat. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat. The minister will respond to the question.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When issues are raised, the education minister has made it clear they will be dealt with. Indeed, the federal member for La Trobe has written to the Minister for Education—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. The question was about Naracoorte Primary School, a specific quote from—

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat. It is not the role of the Speaker to have critiques on questions, but if you want me to I will. In this case the member for Barker asked a question about a specific primary school. A course of action has been suggested by the minister. The minister is now, I assume, going on to explain how that course of action, by giving examples of other schools, can be put in place. I think if the behaviour of the chamber were to improve we might get through question time, after an hour and 20 minutes, and the behaviour has added to the length of time that we are here.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Provoked, I have protected the opportunity of members to raise points of order which then get to the stage of being disruptive. The minister has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The federal member for La Trobe has written to the Minister for Education, in a letter received in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister just this week, about Berwick Lodge Primary School, a school that is mentioned on the front page of the newspaper today. The opposition attempted to table the newspaper article, but because we subscribe to the Australian we actually had it and did not need that. He said this to Julia Gillard: ‘Minister, you resolved this matter for Berwick Lodge Primary recently, which I was very pleased about.’ That is what they actually say, those opposite, when it comes to the specifics.

Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Justice and Public Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, just to assist the minister, I spoke to the school this morning. It is still not resolved. We thought it was resolved.

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

The member will resume his seat. There is no point of order. In fact, that was not a point of order.

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

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. I hate to test your patience, Mr Speaker—and I do—but, under standing order 104, the reason this side of the House is unruly is that this minister is answering a question from four questions ago about Berwick Lodge Primary School, not about the Naracoorte Primary School. That is the reason the House is unruly. He should be brought to order and sat down.

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

First of all, that was not the manner in which to put a point of order. The question is relating to a program. There was a primary school mentioned.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In Naracoorte!

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

The member for Warringah will not be rewarded in any way by being tossed out for an hour; in fact, I can now warn him, to be a trigger for a longer period. If we just get back to basics, it strikes me as ironic that having asked a question earlier on there is an objection based on the fact that it was an earlier question. But that is not why I am ruling that this is relevant. It is relating to the program under which the school that was mentioned by the member for Barker is being funded. There is nothing in precedent and Practice, in the 5th edition on page 553, that indicates that, whilst members might believe that a question should be answered in a particular way, it is answered in that way. The minister has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am talking about Building the Education Revolution, a program which they know when they are in their electorates is supported by the community in their electorates, but they come here to Canberra and have a different message. There is one message in Canberra and another in their electorates when it comes to all of this government’s nation-building infrastructure programs, including the Building the Education Revolution program. The fact is that the member for La Trobe has written to the Minister for Education. I am sorry if I take the member for La Trobe at his word and quote him from the letter that he wrote to the Minister for Education.