Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think the Queensland branch of the Liberal National Party will have to put in a political donations declaration after that blatant political ad from Senator Mason! In case anyone does not know, there is an election campaign going on in Queensland and a number of people on that side think that, by getting up and doing some cheap political advertising, they may help the Liberal National Party. But, like a lot of advertising that we hear from the Liberal National Party, there is no substance; it is just spin. The Senate would be much better served, Senator Mason, if you actually talked about the issues of the day. In case you did not know—and, listening to your speech very carefully, I think you have forgotten once again—there is a global financial crisis happening. The Commonwealth government and, I know, state governments of every colour are trying to come to grips with it and doing their very best to cushion the blow. But the federal government is doing more than anybody else. We are taking the important steps, unlike the opposition, who have simply abandoned Australian workers and the economy. They simply want to have a hands-off approach and say: ‘Let the market rip. Let the jobs go where they may go.’ They take no responsibility for stimulating the economy to save jobs, to cushion the financial impact and to assist Australian working families.

I find it difficult to believe that a senator would get up in this place to do some cheap political advertising when there are far more serious issues to be dealt with. Senator Mason has left the chamber. Where has he gone? I do not know. Maybe he has gone out to do another ad. The ads are endless at the moment. But Australians can rest assured that this government is doing everything within its power to cushion this country from the global economic crisis.

Regarding some of the education issues that Senator Mason wanted to talk about, let me advise the Senate that the Commonwealth is working collaboratively with the states and territories to realise the ambitious shared objectives and outcomes agreed in the National Education Agreement. The National Education Agreement articulates the roles and responsibilities of the Commonwealth and the states and territories. It does not impose input controls on how states spend Commonwealth funding, as has historically been the case. Instead, it focuses on the accountability arrangements regarding how states spend this funding according to the needs of the schools and, more importantly, the students. The students are important—the one thing in Senator Mason’s contribution I did agree with is that the students are absolutely important. That is why this government is taking the steps it is, working collaboratively with the states, to make the education of the students foremost.

The Council of Australian Governments also agreed to a series of Smarter Schools national partnerships on 29 November 2008. Between late December 2008 and early January 2009, the Commonwealth held bilateral discussions with each of the states and territories to initiate the development of detailed implementation plans for each national partnership. On 5 February 2009, the Australian government announced the Nation Building and Jobs Plan, including investment of $14.7 billion over three years for the education revolution to fund the building and rebuilding of primary and secondary school infrastructure and maintenance. COAG also agreed to a national partnership agreement in the Nation Building and Jobs Plan, ‘Building prosperity for the future and supporting jobs now’. In addition to that, the Australian government is providing $550 million under the Quality Teaching National Partnership for reforms to attract, train, place, develop and retain quality teachers and school leaders in our classrooms and schools.

These programs are what we do for every student across the country. I know it does not quite suit Senator Mason’s attempt to do the political advertising but this is our government’s commitment to every student, every parent and every school community. We have also provided $1.5 billion over the next seven years to address the needs of disadvantaged schools through the low socioeconomic status schools community national partnerships. And there is much, much more. Unfortunately I would need another hour or so to go through the programs that this government is delivering for students.