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, Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion. Given that the Australian Electoral Commission has today in writing, in this letter, confirmed to me that the schools stimulus display signs are electoral advertisements, will the minister undertake to ensure that all other promotion of the Primary Schools for the 21st Century program is similarly compliant with the Electoral Act, including the program website and all literature?

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

I thank the shadow minister for his question. As the shadow minister would be aware, the AEC has also referred to the arrangements that we have announced in relation to the signs, which satisfy the requirements for authorisation. It strikes me as passing strange that the shadow minister would have become so concerned about this topic, given the track record of the former government when it came to signage and recognition arrangements. I have some material here that I could go to but I do not want to restrain the House for too long on this question. I draw the House’s attention to the Investing in Our Schools Program Guidelines for state schools. That was the one we were referring to a little bit earlier with the 80 per cent costing. It says:

Stickers with modified plaque wording are to be attached to all books and smaller library resource items.

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The minister was asked a specific question about whether she would ensure that the website and literature associated with the schools stimulus debacle were compliant with the Electoral Act, and I would ask her to answer the question. I am also happy to table the school program guidelines.

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

The member will resume his seat. There is no point of order.

Government Member:

Come in, spinner!

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

I don’t think so, you fool!

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

The member for Sturt will withdraw.

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

I withdraw, Mr Speaker.

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

I have been asked about programs and compliance with Australian Electoral Commission guidelines. Obviously, precedence and what has happened in the past are relevant to this. My attention has been, and I think the House’s attention probably should be, drawn to the fact that under the old Investing in Our Schools Program guidelines if you ended up with a school grant and, say, bought 5,000 books for your library every one of them had to have a sticker included in it. Every piece of material bought with the Investing in Our Schools Program money—10,000 books or 5,000 books—needed to have a sticker in it. Having had my attention drawn to this sticker here—it is very small print, so it may be challenging for some of us—I actually do not see an authorisation. I do not see an authorisation that would satisfy the Australian Electoral Commission on it.

Whilst we are on the question of school signs and other things, my attention has also been drawn to signage under the Investing in Our Schools Program. Here is one example, at the Wantirna Primary School, that actually told you who opened the project. It helpfully tells you that it was Chris Pearce, the member for Aston. It tells you that he opened the project, obviously, at a school. Once again, it is not authorised in terms of Australian Electoral Commission style authorisation. Whilst I may be straying onto—

Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order, and a very important one as it relates to keeping the law. It is the obligation of ministers to comply with the law of Australia. The Deputy Prime Minister is not answering and giving a guarantee to the place. If she thinks two wrongs make a right she should, of course, admit to it.

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

The member for O’Connor will resume his seat. There is no point of order.

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

The only member of the opposition that I am fonder of than the member for Sturt is the member for O’Connor. He is one of my special favourites. I thank him for his very frank concession that the Howard government behaved in a wrong fashion when it was in office. I thank him for that concession and say that he, at least, is an honest man on those topics. The Howard government behaved wrongly in office—here comes an apology for it.

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The minister was asked specifically whether she would ensure that the website and the literature were compliant with the Electoral Act, and I ask you—

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

The member for Sturt will resume his seat. There is no point of order. The Deputy Prime Minister will respond to the question.

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

Finally, though it may be straying onto the portfolio responsibilities of the minister for infrastructure, my attention has also been drawn to this sign under Roads to Recovery, just outside a school fence. No authorisation on that one. I think the minister would confirm to me that under the AusLink guidelines, to take just one example, such signage was displayed for at least 12 months after the project was finished. So there are some of the precedents on the question of signage and precedent.

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

Too embarrassed to answer the question!

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

I say to the shadow minister opposite, who is obviously concerned about these questions, that we will comply with any requirements of the Australian Electoral Commission. He may like, at some point, to explain the conduct of the Howard government on these questions.

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

Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table the guidelines of the Investing in Our Schools Program, which contain no requirement for display signs praising the government and also the Electoral Commissioner’s advice to me, which sets out the breach by the government in respect of their display signs.

Leave not granted.