Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Training. Will the minister inform the House how the government's universal access reforms will deliver certainty and consistency for parents and preschools? Why are certainty and consistency important in public policy?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Murray for her question. I am very pleased to be able to confirm that the budget last night delivered $840 million to ensure that four-year-olds around Australia will be able to obtain 15 hours minimum a week of preschool education. This is a great commitment from the Abbott government. I thank the Treasurer, and I am sure the families of Australia do. It is another demonstration of the government's commitment to putting students first. It is part of our consistent approach to policy over the last 18 months in education.

Consistency of policy approach is very important. It is very important for the public, for the business community, for the education sector, for families and for small businesses to know that the government will deliver consistent approaches to policy.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Jagajaga will desist or leave.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, the opposition seem to have utterly abandoned that consistent approach to policy over the budget and the last 18 months of being in opposition. I had the misfortune of listening to the radio this morning and hearing the member for McMahon on Fran Kelly. In the same interview he managed to criticise the government for not delivering a lower deficit figure and managed to confirm that Labor will vote against every savings measure in the budget and will vote in favour of every spending measure in the budget. So they are going to vote in favour of all of the spending measures and they are going to vote against all of the savings measures but apparently the government has failed not to deliver a lower deficit. He does not know whether he is Ebenezer Scrooge or Jay Gatsby. He does not know if he is Toad of Toad Hall, spending money and giving it away to everybody, or the Grinch. He does not know if he is a debt fighter or he is a big spender. This has been the problem with the opposition ever since the last election.

Yesterday they criticised the government for not going ahead with the Paid Parental Leave scheme that they opposed last year. Root and branch they opposed the Paid Parental Leave scheme that they now say they demand the government introduce. In the Senate they are opposing savings measures they themselves introduced in government. They are opposing in the Senate $5 billion of savings measures.

This morning the Leader of the Opposition had a horror interview on Neil Mitchell. He has reached the nadir. He cannot remember that Labor delivered any deficit budgets. Neil Mitchell said to him:

Do you, as Labor leader, accept any responsibility for the problems with the deficit?

To which the opposition leader replied:

No, the government is in charge.

The government is in charge—there is nothing to see here; move along, everyone. He did not leave us $660 billion of rising debt and $130 billion of accumulated deficit! No wonder the public do not take you seriously, Bill.