Laura Smyth (La Trobe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts and Minister representing the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations. Will the minister inform the House of progress in implementing the Building the Education Revolution program and of the support this program has received across the community?

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Regional Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Chester interjecting

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

Order! The member for Gippsland is warned. I am not sure what outbreak there is in the hinterland of the chamber but you will remain quiet.

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for La Trobe for her question because I know she does understand the significance this program has to her electorate and she has been involved in many openings of great new facilities within her electorate for the students in La Trobe. The fact is that the BER program is the largest school modernisation program in Australian history. What is derided on the other side as a school halls program is, in fact, building classrooms, libraries, science centres, language labs, gymnasiums, multipurpose facilities and sports facilities. There have been 24,000 such projects across the nation in 9,000 schools. Indeed, this program has been welcomed across the nation from parents and students alike for state-of-the-art facilities that they never could have dreamt of and were never delivered under the previous government.

As an example of how this program has been welcomed I refer to the opening of a completed project in Linden Park Schools. This was a new BER funded project of some $4.775 million and all of it was paid for under the BER—a teaching block with a shared activity area, an early years outdoor learning area, a middle years outdoor learning centre and a significant increase in the school gymnasium.

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

Mr Pyne interjecting

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

Order! The minister will resume his seat. The member for Sturt knows that this is not a debate. He will sit down quietly. The minister has the call.

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Here is an example of what has been said about this very significant program:

I am very pleased to be a part of the opening of these new school buildings. But a school is made much better by having tremendous facilities and the facilities that Linden Park now has are second to none in the state and are going to be a gold standard for all the other primary schools across the electorate.

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

Mr Speaker, on a point of order, I simply ask: how can Howard government money that I secured in 2004 be directly relevant to this question?

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

Mr Speaker, that was not a point of order, that was a confession.

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

Order! The minister has the call.

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To continue the quote:

What a marvellous job that’s been done—

This is in relation to the $4.775 million under the BER program, a Labor government program—

What a marvellous job you’ve done in making this great school even better. Congratulations to those people who have made it happen and thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today.

Now, who said this? It just so happens that it was the member for Sturt. There he is in the photo at the podium welcoming this great initiative. It was a very good speech. There is another photo. There he is in the school audience at the opening ceremony with his mouth open. He must have been saying something—you might say ‘prattling’—but no-one is listening to him.

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

Order! The minister will go to the question.

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will go the question, Mr Speaker, because I am asked how it has been received in the community. That is how it has been received in the community.

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

The minister will resume his seat. I think enough is enough, all right? The House will concentrate on what it is here for and behave. For those who are miraculous by way of interjection in their advice to me, suggesting that I am showing a double standard, they forget that the double standard in their behaviour is amazing. There was one person who was disciplined for the display of an object. He copped it fairly. There were then others who have been here a long time that tried their stunts, and for them to be finger-pointing today is quite extraordinary.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So is this a stunt?

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

The Leader of the Opposition should show just a smidgin more leadership when I am trying to say that enough is enough. The minister has the call.

John Cobb (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Simon got away with it.

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asked how this—

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

The minister will resume his seat. The member for Calare will withdraw the reflection upon the chair or take his medicine, which would be an hour out of the chamber.

John Cobb (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw, Mr Speaker.

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I am asked how it is received in the community. This is an example of how the hypocrisy on the other side knows no bounds. This is the person who is the attack dog in this parliament but the lap-dog when he gets back to his community and wants to claim credit for what we have done.