Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Last night every member of the government, including the member for Page, voted six times to push through a $22 billion cut to schools. How is it fair that over the next two years $1.6 million will be cut from the—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

The member for Richmond will resume her seat. Members on my right will cease interjecting! The Minister for Human Services, the member for Hume and the member for Reid will cease interjecting! I cannot hear the question. I will have to take further action against them. I remind members who have been warned. I call the member for Richmond to commence her question again.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Last night, every member of the government, including the member for Page, voted six times to push through a $22 billion cut to schools. How is it fair that over the next two years $1.6 million will be cut from The Rivers Secondary College in the electorate of Page at the same time as Trinity Grammar in Sydney gets a funding increase?

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Richmond may like to know that under the Turnbull government's increase in school funding the 80 schools in her electorate will get an extra $4.1 million—$4.1 million! But that is not as good as the electorate of the member for Maribyrnong, where there are 54 schools which will get an average of $7.2 million. Or the alternative Leader of the Opposition—

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Which one?

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler!

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, that one.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Forty-nine schools in his electorate will get the benefit of an extra $4.8 million. Or there is the other alternative Leader of the Opposition—the one who is leading in the polls with 30.7 per cent—the member for Sydney, who gave up that foreign affairs portfolio to get closer to the action only to be gazumped by the education minister when it came to schools funding! In her electorate of Sydney, as a result of the Turnbull government's policies 40 schools will get an average of $2.5 million each. And the list goes on.

But the reality is that the member for Sydney went on this morning in what the Prime Minister said was a train wreck of an interview on AM. She was confronted with the comments from the Archdiocese of Brisbane, which said, 'We thank the Turnbull government for the work that they have done on education—increased funding, no decreases in fees.' And what did the member for Sydney say? 'Oh, they only represent 140 schools.' So suddenly, the Archdiocese representing 140 schools does not count. But, really, when it comes to those opposite—

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

The member for Sydney on a point of order?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The question was quite specifically about why public schools get a funding cut and Trinity Grammar gets an increase.

A government member: They don't!

It was on the internet—

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

I am not sure if the member for Sydney wants me to address her point of order. If she is going to interject I can just ignore it.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

It was not; it was you, again! Again! The member for Sydney well knows that the minister is on the policy topic. He was asked about education and he was asked about the government's school funding package. He is entirely within order.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The message is clear to the member for Richmond that schools in her electorate will benefit greatly, just as they will in the member for Sydney's electorate and the member for Maribyrnong's electorate. When the Labor Party talk about increased funding for schools, we know that they do not fund it. And we know that it is funny money, because the member for Sydney said, 'We will replace every cent of that $22 billion,' and the final word goes to the member for Port Adelaide, because he said, 'Well, it's not going to be $22 billion necessarily.' So not only are they denying the constituents of their own electorates more funding under the Turnbull government's plan; they do not even know how much of that they will be providing to schools across Australia.