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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister finally admit that his schools policy is a train wreck? Public schools hate it, Catholic schools hate it and his government's own members despise it. Will the Prime Minister please put his schools policy out of its misery, withdraw the legislation and go back to the drawing board for a better schools policy?

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

I thank the Leader of the Opposition. He just claimed that our schools policy was hated. Well, it has many admirers. One of them is the State School Teachers' Union of Western Australia President, Pat Byrne.

Mr Khalil interjecting—

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

The member for Wills!

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

She has called on the Labor Party to support the bill. She said the legislation 'should be considered if it compels states to meet their funding obligations'. She talks about the importance of backing our reforms. She recognises that they make a very significant improvement in equity and transparency.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

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

The member for Moreton is warned!

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

And, of course, she is joined by Dianne Foggo, past president of the Australian Education Union, who wrote to the Leader of the Opposition and me. She said, 'It is on the principle of needs based funding into the future that the Turnbull government's bills must be supported. One of my proudest and most humbling honours has been to be made a life member of the AEU and to be a former federal president. I have fought long and hard about making my views public and I do not look forward to the opprobrium I will probably face; however, I cannot, in all conscience, stay silent when there is an opportunity to change the current school-funding regime for a better one.'

Then, of course, we have seen support from across the independent schools system. We have seen support from Martin Hanscamp, the executive officer of the Australian Association of Christian Schools. We have seen Pam Betts, from Brisbane Catholic Education, saying, 'We thank the federal government for its continuing support.'

The reality is, Labor knows full well that what we have delivered with our schools funding package is a funding package that focuses not on union officials, not on politicians, not on bureaucrats; it focuses on the children. It focuses on getting fair and transparent funding for our children—

Mr Khalil interjecting—

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

The member for Wills is warned!

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

and ensuring that right across the board—whether you are at a state school, a Catholic school or an independent school—the funding is fair, it is transparent and it is needs based. That is what Gonski recommended. Labor failed to deliver it. They delivered a corruption of 27 secret and conflicting deals. We have delivered the fair outcome that Gonski recommended. And Labor should back it.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Before I call the member for Tangney, the member for Wills has been warned. I am sure he did not hear it. The member for Moreton has been warned and the member for Goldstein is now warned as well.