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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Why is the Prime Minister planning a TAFE-destroying takeover of vocational education? Why is the Prime Minister still committed to $100,000 university degrees? And why is the Prime Minister opposing Labor's 'Your Child. Our Future' education plans, which will give every child in every school every opportunity?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question and I am delighted that he has raised the issue of TAFE. As the honourable member knows, the government is cleaning up a very, very substantial mess that was left by the government in which he was a minister with vocational training—a very substantial mess. We are undertaking substantial reforms which are restoring integrity to the vocational training sector.

Ms Owens interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Parramatta will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a complex task. He should understand that. Regrettably, the Labor Party can get into large messes much faster than their successors in government can get the nation out of them—massive, massive mismanagement.

The Leader of the Opposition then went on to talk about schools education. I refer the honourable member and all honourable members to the answers I gave earlier this week. But let me just remind the honourable member who asked the question about the critical issue of teacher quality. The problem that we face is that we have been, on any view, spending more on schools but with worse outcomes in terms of student performance, both in absolute terms and relatively to other comparable countries. That is why high-quality teacher education has to be a feature of our school system, just as it is a feature of all of the top-performing education systems around the world. It is a key policy, a key pillar, of our Students First policy.

And that is why, under the leadership of this government, this coalition government, in September all state and territory education ministers agreed to several key elements in our response to this challenge of improving teacher quality: a national literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education students—absolutely critical—guidelines for the selection of entrants to initial teacher education programs, and a commitment to strengthening the national approach to the accreditation of initial teacher education programs in 2016.

What we are seeking to do is ensure that the quality of the young men and women who are going in to study to be teachers is higher and higher as time goes on, because we know the critical determinant—

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

of good educational outcomes is quality teachers. Quality education comes from quality teachers. We are backing the teachers. That is our commitment and that is what will deliver the outcomes our nation needs.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Jagajaga is warned.