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 Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for Education and Minister for Social Inclusion. Will the minister confirm that at Berridale Public School a new toilet block, including replumbing, excavation, double brick, hot water and showers, was completed early in 2009, where the cost per square metre was $2,640? Can she further confirm that, in what is being described by the Department of Education and Training of New South Wales as ‘descoping’, Berridale Public School will receive a new library, described as essentially a demountable by the principal, Ian McCluggage, at approximately $5,660 per square metre? Can she explain the discrepancy?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The question has been asked.

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

And I thank those opposite for their chorus of abuse about supporting Australian education. Can I say to the shadow minister opposite: of course, he voted against the Building the Education Revolution program, but he might like to recall that it is supporting jobs today during a global recession, the biggest economic downturn in 75 years, whilst supporting over 24,000 projects in 9,500 schools around the country. Of course, we expect the Liberal Party, who voted against this here and then run around electorates, desperate to associate themselves with the individual projects—

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. On the basis of your previous ruling, this was a precise question about a particular school with no reference whatsoever in the question to any broader program. The Deputy Prime Minister is therefore out of order, and you should bring her back to the question.

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

The Deputy Prime Minister is responding to the question.

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

Of course we expect the Liberal Party to come in here and nitpick about this problem and to deny what other Australians know, which is that this program is supporting jobs. It is supporting the jobs of tradies. It is supporting the jobs of carpenters, plumbers and electricians around the nation during a global recession, whilst building the school infrastructure we need for tomorrow. Overwhelmingly, this program is delivering results that school communities want.

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

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. The question is about value for money at Berridale school. That is the issue. That is the question. She should address herself to that.

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will not debate the question by a point of order.

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

As this program supports local jobs, it is supporting modernisation of school facilities that schools want. We have always said that with a program of this size and scale we expect there to be individual problems, complaints and concerns. I have consistently said that if members have individual problems or complaints or concerns they would like addressed then, obviously, they can come and talk to me and they can go through the departmental promise processes.

What is interesting to me and I think may be of interest to other members of the House is that I have had members of the opposition come to me to get problems resolved, and we have resolved them. But what happens in question time, obviously—it happened yesterday and it is happening today—is that members of the opposition raise individual examples like this one and supply no follow-up or comprehensive information to us to enable us to resolve the problem. So I will say this to the member for Sturt, very directly, on the question that he has asked me—

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. The minister has been asked about an almost 100 per cent cost overrun. I would have thought she would actually think that was an important issue.

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

The member for Sturt will resume his seat.

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

I will finish the sentence that I started before being interrupted by the member for Sturt. I say to the member for Sturt, very directly: if he has a genuine concern about costs applied to this local school, if he will supply me with the information he is referring to, I will follow the matter up, I will report back to him and I will report back to the parliament. If the member for Sturt has no genuine concern and simply wants to make cheap political points about education in circumstances where as a shadow minister he has no policies or plans for education in the nation’s future then people will judge him on it.