Deborah O'Neill (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. How have recent school funding announcements by the federal and state governments been received by the community? What would be the impact of these funding decisions on our schools?

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for her question. As the Prime Minister said, we met here today with members from the non-government schools sector of New South Wales and with caucus members from New South Wales as well. The community values the support that is provided to schools in funding, and the New South Wales Liberal government's cuts to schools mean things like fees going up, class sizes increasing and curriculum options narrowing. We heard that when we met today, and those views have been echoed by principals, teachers and parents around New South Wales. Listen to what the Principal of St Felix Primary School in south-west Sydney said: 'We have students with very specific learning needs. The withdrawal of state funding will be devastating to our families.' The executive director of Catholic schools in Parramatta said to the Rouse Hill Times that the cuts represent:

… betrayal by a government which has shown a lack of understanding of what is needed to deliver quality learning and teaching in today's world.

That understanding is completely absent.

But of course the New South Wales Liberal government's cuts do not just hit the non-government schools; they hit support for government schools, they hit school front-office staff, and they hit TAFE students by increasing their fees and sacking teachers. And this is after the Gonski review told us that we need to be investing in more support, that we need to be providing our students with more opportunities. Instead, the New South Wales Liberals have gone the other way.

In this House, federal New South Wales state MPs have gone into bat for their schools against the New South Wales government cuts. They introduced a private member's motion so that we can debate those cuts. So I think it is time for the Leader of the Opposition to move on from the end-of-the-world sound bites and come in and make a contribution to this debate, because it is clear that these types of cuts from state coalition governments are a curtain raiser to what the opposition leader has in store if he should win at the next election.

Again, on ABC 24, the member for North Sydney confirmed the Liberal Party's $70 billion black hole. So how will the opposition leader fill it? What is he going to do? As he said to the press this morning:

… I respect the job that they're—

the Liberal Premiers are—

doing. I work closely with them as far as I can. But they are dealing with their problems at the state level and I will seek to deal with federal problems at our level.

You talk about code for what is going to happen—that is open-source code. This is plainly saying that the same savage cuts to health and education that we have seen in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria will be visited upon us in this House if the Leader of the Opposition should ever occupy the Treasury bench. He has already promised $2.8 billion in cuts—cuts to teachers training, cuts to computers and cuts to school facilities, and we know he wants to cut more. How is he going to cut more? It will be in education and health.

Deborah O'Neill (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy President, I ask a supplementary question to the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. How will this situation particularly affect schools in my electorate, the seat of Robertson in New South Wales?

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for her question.

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There seems to be some sloppiness creeping into the government's supplementary questions. How can the minister be asked a question about state government responsibilities, which are not within his portfolio? How could that be within his portfolio responsibilities? At least the initial question had an obeisance to the federal government responsibilities. The supplementary bore no relationship—

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

The question was in order. The minister has the call.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Robertson takes a very keen interest in the schools in her electorate. In the Diocese of Broken Bay, impact on non-government schools, particularly on those smaller non-government schools that provide important education in her electorate, will be felt hardly. This Labor government has provided to the member for Robertson in her electorate $80 million in 97 projects benefiting 45 schools—seven libraries, eight multipurpose halls, 30 classrooms, 9,000 computers. I mean, that is the difference.

When the shadow minister, who takes no interest in education whatsoever, tries to take a point of order—

Mr Pyne interjecting—

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

Order! The member for Sturt is warned!

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

he might like to try and explain why it is in the member for Robertson's electorate and in his own electorate as well, that every bit of significant additional investment that has gone into the schools has come from this Labor government. They are the facts. That is what we are dealing with today. The member for Robertson can see the benefits in her electorate and she knows—as do I, as do members on this side—that, as we look at the way in which the New South Wales government is visiting savage cuts on education right across the state, those cuts will be felt in her electorate as well. Finally, for a shadow opposition minister who thinks it would be a good idea to sack one in seven teachers, the Liberal Party's commitment to education has never been better said.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

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

The member for Sturt will withdraw. He knows he has other forms of the House in which he can air his grievance.

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

I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

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

Indeed, the member for Sturt can make a personal explanation at his earliest convenience but I would say that perhaps it would be a bad precedent to set during question time. I will allow him the opportunity to do that at the end of question time. The member for Goldstein has the call.

Government members interjecting—

My apologies, I ask the member to withdraw.

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

I withdraw.