Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and the Minister for Social Inclusion. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on school education programs, including Teach for Australia, and of any threats to these programs?

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

I thank for member for her question. I know that the member for Chisholm is very focused on the question of quality education and quality schools in her electorate and that she is aware, as are many people around the country, of the impact of our Teach for Australia program. This program already has 45 of the best and brightest graduates who have undergone a training program teaching in disadvantaged schools around the country, most particularly in Victoria. It is a great quality program. I know that this program is under threat and I know the member who asked me the question is concerned about these threats. The threat arises because the Leader of the Opposition has said that, if he is elected, he will cut the money allocated to the national partnership program that supports Teach for Australia. This has been welcomed by principals, by people who care about education right around the country with words like, ‘I feel like I have won the lottery to have one of these high quality graduates in my school.’

I know that the member for Chisholm out in Melbourne’s east has been involved in some community discussions about this question. I know that that community discussion is also continuing in the electorate of Aston. My attention has been drawn to the flyer of the Liberal candidate for Aston, Alan Tudge. I had a good look at it. I was a little bit intrigued when it said that, among his various claims to fame, he had worked at national level formulating initiatives to give school communities more funding and control. That is interesting. Why is the name ‘Alan Tudge’ familiar? Then it occurred to me—

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. I would refer you to the statement that ministers should not engage in irrelevancies, which include contrasting government and opposition positions, which is precisely what she is doing. I would ask you to ask her to sit down.

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

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. The question was in order. The question went to any threats. I have a feeling that something is emerging in this answer. The Deputy Prime Minister understands that she must relate the material to the question.

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

I was asked about threats to the Teach for Australia program. I know the name ‘Alan Tudge’ because he is on the Teach for Australia Board; that is how I know that name. This is the very program that the Leader of the Opposition is a risk to.

I am a person who looks to research things in depth, so I did not stop there with the community flyer. I have managed to obtain the Liberal Party of Australia application for preselection endorsement by Alan Tudge. There is interesting reading on the question of education. I will not be tabling it, because it contains personal details. But I will be making extracts available for all.

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

Mr Speaker, perhaps the member for David Jones over there could—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. I know that it has been a long fortnight. The Deputy Prime Minister is responding to the question. She will relate her remarks to the question and the House will sit quietly.

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

I am reminded of the great Gareth Evans statement about the member for Mackellar.

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

I think that we will move on, Deputy Prime Minister.

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

With that short reminder, I will move on to the preselection application, which deals with the Teach for Australia program about which I have been asked. Alan Tudge, the candidate for Aston basically claims—

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I refer you to the standing orders. Page 125 refers to the right of reply of persons referred to in the House who are obviously not present to defend themselves. If the minister wants me to run a bit on her—

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

The member for O’Connor will resume his seat. His punishment is to stay here in the chamber quietly with us. There will be no more ads for commercial retailers, ads for parts of the standing orders or anything else. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call. She is responding to the question. She now has the chance to complete her response.

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

On Teach for Australia, in this application Mr Tudge tells us all about his involvement and how valuable it is—the very program that the Leader of the Opposition wants to cut the money from. That shows how erratic that they are and shows how little that they care about school eduction.

This preselection election campaign talks about Mr Tudge’s claims to fame. It says: ‘I helped develop the popular Investing in Our Schools program, which was both practical policy and great assistance to coalition members in their individual seats and their local campaigns.’ When we on this side of the House invest money in schools, we do it for the benefit of schools, not for the political benefit of coalition members. If you ever need to know the difference between this side of the House and that side of the House when it comes to education, have a look at this document. We are about benefiting schools. Mr Tudge and everyone sitting there are about cutting the money that goes to schools. As revealed by the Leader of the Opposition, they are going to cut the Building the Education Revolution, trades training centres, computers in schools and now this teaching quality money as well—those are the things that the opposition threaten with their budget cuts. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition should talk to Mr Tudge about the benefits of Teach for Australia. But we know that the Leader of the Opposition is a risk to local schools right around the country.