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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the warnings she received about the maladministration of the school hall program from April 2009, warnings she described as ‘nitpicking’. As it subsequently emerged that the school hall program was beset with billions of dollars of waste and mismanagement, why should she now be trusted to get other policies, such as the $43 billion National Broadband Network, right? Why should she be trusted when she could not even manage a school hall program?

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

I thank the shadow minister for his question. I do hope the opposition, at some point, comes to the realisation that just because you come in into question time and make things up, that does not make them true. I refer the shadow minister to the various reports and inquiries into the Building the Education Revolution program, many of which he called for. These include the Auditor-General’s report and the work done by Brad Orgill. The contentions and assertions in the shadow minister’s question are simply inaccurate.

The best way of actually assessing what the opposition thinks about the Building the Education program is to watch the conduct of local members. You would not want to risk your life and limb by getting between an opposition member and a BER school opening. You would not want to risk your life and limb, particularly when there are scissors and a ribbon involved. It is just too dangerous to try to get between them and their desperate desire to be as closely associated with the program as is humanly possible.

It seems a little bit remarkable to me that the member for Goldstein would be shouting out about this matter. I remember many colour shots of him in the safety vest and the hard hat inspecting Building the Education Revolution projects in his electorate. He could not have got closer to them if he tried.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Who is making things up now?

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

He was trying to give his electorate the impression he was constructing them himself; that is how keen he was to be associated with this program. So I say to the shadow minister—

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I ask that you request the Prime Minister to retract a blatant untruth.

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

As I did yesterday, I remind members that the procedures of the House contain other avenues to seek redress on matters where it is thought necessary.

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

In conclusion, I say to the shadow minister who asked this question and who has made up the contentions in the question: perhaps he should talk to some of the members on his backbench who have been, and want to be, associated with Building the Education Revolution projects in their electorate. Perhaps on this matter it would be better to judge the opposition not by its puffed up confections in this parliament but by the actual conduct of its members in their electorates.