Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The New South Wales Treasurer has today described the Prime Minister's $30 billion worth of cuts to schools as 'not sustainable'. Why does the Prime Minister continue to deny his $30 billion of cuts to schools when the Prime Minister's own Liberal colleagues are publicly criticising him for those cuts?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because there are no cuts. Every year Commonwealth funding for public schools goes up and up and up. I repeat for the benefit of members opposite: school funding goes up eight per cent this year, eight per cent next year, six per cent the year after that and four per cent in the final year of the forward estimates. As I have said before, we actually put $1.2 billion more into public schools—money that members opposite had cut out. In a sneaky pre-election trick they ripped $1.2 billion out of public schools in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and this government put it back.

There is more than $4 million more for public schools in the forward estimates. Public school funding goes up by some 28 per cent overall over the forward estimates. There are no cuts whatsoever. If members opposite think there have been cuts, I have a very simple challenge for them: put them back. If members opposite are not prepared to put back what they claim are cuts then there are no cuts, they are not particularly significant or, more importantly, yet again members opposite are simply being deceptive. They are simply telling fibs to the people of Australia yet again. Members opposite simply cannot be trusted. We know duplicity and deception are a way of life for members opposite.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

There will be silence in the cacophony.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We all know that neither Prime Minister Gillard nor Prime Minister Rudd could trust the Leader of the Opposition, as we have had on our screens over the last couple of weeks.

Mr Shorten interjecting—

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

There are no props.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He backstabbed two prime ministers.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

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

The member for Moreton will leave under standing order 94(a).

The member for Moreton then left the chamber.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If his own party could not trust him, neither can the Australian people.