Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria said of the government's cuts to schools: 'For Victoria's Catholic schools, that funding cut will add up to over $25 million per year.' So why did every member of this government—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The member for Scullin will resume his seat. The members for Barker and others will cease interjecting. I cannot hear the question. The member for Scullin will begin again.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria said of the government's cuts to schools: 'For Victoria's Catholic schools, that funding cut will add up to over $25 million per year.' So why did every member of this government, including the member for Menzies, vote in this very House for $22 billion of cuts to schools? Will the Prime Minister now admit to the Australian people and every member of this House that he is cutting funds to Catholic schools?

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Mr Albanese interjecting—

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

The Leader of the House and the member for Grayndler will cease interjecting. The Minister for the Environment and Energy, representing the Minister for Education, has the call.

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

The member for Scullin may be interested to know that, under the Turnbull government's plan, there are 46 seats—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my left have made their point. The minister has the call.

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

The House may be interested to know that, in the electorate of Scullin, there are 46 schools that will miss out on an average of $7.6 million if the Turnbull government's schools package is blocked. So I say to the member for Scullin that he should be aware not only that the Catholic school system will be getting $3.4 billion of additional money over the next decade but also that the Catholic school system will still be able to allocate the money in the way they see fit and that in his state and my state of Victoria the Catholic school system per student will see an increase of 3.3 per cent under the Turnbull government's plan. In the state of New South Wales the Catholic system, on a per student basis, will see an increase of 3.6 per cent. In Queensland that increase will be 3.5 per cent. In South Australia it will be 3.7 per cent. In Western Australia it will be 3.8 per cent. In Tasmania it will be 4.3 per cent.

The Catholic school system, like the independent school system and the government school system, will be much better off under the Turnbull government's school program and much worse off under Labor's 27 special deals.