Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I am happy to answer the question because I think the Australian public are very well aware of which side of politics is interested in public education in this country. They also know which government has invested at record levels in all levels of education, be it preschool, be it primary, be it secondary, be it tertiary. They are also aware of what happened under the previous Howard government, when in its first budget it slashed funding to education. So there is no question in my mind that Australians understand who has got a commitment to education in this country.

This government has made education a priority, and what the Prime Minister did in her speech was reinforce that commitment. What she has done is say that in response to the Gonski report, the first comprehensive independent review of our school system in almost 40 years, we will implement the recommendations of that report. We will take on board that report and drive that change. As the Senate and the general public know, we have consulted about these issues and we have started negotiations with the states to drive that improvement in our school system.

We want to see every school getting the money they need to do the job in educating our children—not just the kids from wealthy backgrounds, not just the kids in the cities, but kids across this country, whether they be in the private independent system, the Catholic system or the public system. The Prime Minister has again reinforced her commitment to that. We are in the process of beginning to negotiate with the states those new funding arrangements. We are in the process of working with them to drive the most important reform in our education system in decades, and we are serious and we will do it. (Time expired)