Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Have a look at the thing. Your government was there from 2007 to 2013—economies do not change overnight. That is the rollover from the Labor government. As Senator Brandis quite rightly said, in recent times the Australian economy has been growing faster than any other economy in the Western world. Things are starting to come right. But it was during the Labor years that this problem came about.

I thought the Labor Party might have taken note, today, of the schools-funding issue. They have an MPI about it, later today. I do not know what anyone is going to talk about at the MPI because, as Senator Brandis and Senator Birmingham quite clearly said, there will be no such funding cuts, and funding of state schools is a matter for state governments. Even Mr Weatherill, the Labor Premier of South Australia, understands that.

Senator Wright asked during her question whether we had an emotional attachment to state schools. I always, in this chamber, very proudly say—unlike, I suspect, most of the Greens political party—I did all of my schooling in a state school and finished my high school in a state school. In fact, as my wife often reminds me, I liked my state school so much that we bought a house just opposite it—and we continue to live there. So we do have an emotional attachment to state schools, Senator Wright. I suspect most of the senators in the Greens political party went to private schools and would not understand state schools at all.