Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the Abbott government's plan to abolish universal access to free public education. Specifically, a leaked copy of the federation green paper shows the Abbott government's plan to cut all Commonwealth funding to schools, means-test public education and force the re-introduction of fees for public school students. This is a government which is arrogantly out of touch. This is a government which is failing the Australian people at a time when we should be investing more money in education, but what do we see from this government? It wants to deregulate the universities; it wants to stop anyone who does not have a large credit card from going to university; and now it wants to stop free education in this country. It is absolutely outrageous.

The government is also considering incomprehensible damage to Australia's education system. We all know, as do the Australian people, that before the election there were a number of commitments and promises made by this government, and one of those notably was that there would be no cuts to education. Another promise was a unity ticket on schools—a unity ticket on the Gonski reforms. But what have we seen? We have seen the exact opposite from those in government. There will be a massive increase in fees for children going into the public education system and there will be changes to non-government schools' funding as well. Alongside these disappointing and highly disturbing revelations today, we have seen $30 billion cut from our classrooms over the next decade—which is the biggest cut ever made to education in this country—and that, Senators, is nothing to be proud of. We have also seen the failure to deliver the Gonski agreements, which directly hit students that need the most support in our schools. Obviously not satisfied with abandoning Gonski and cutting $30 billion from education last year, Mr Abbott and his team are setting a new target, which is to attack and cut funding to public schools and to end the provision of free schooling altogether.

This is a disappointing and disturbing revelation, and it shows that the $30 billion cut in last year's budget was just the beginning. Even more disturbing is that we will lose the ability to meet the economic challenges this country faces. As I have said, this is a time when we should be putting more money into education and we should be ensuring that we have better trained teachers and that all parents in this country have the ability to send their children to the world's best schools. It is very clear that the Abbott government does not value public education. We on this side have always known that, and the Australian people have known that, but they were misguided and lied to by those opposite at the last election when they were told there would be no cuts to education—just as they were told there would be no changes to the pension. What have we seen? Nothing but borne-out lies from those opposite. Every Australian child has a fundamental right to expect to have access to the world's best education system. We are a rich country; we can afford to put more money into education. The Australian people are paying the price of the betrayal of Mr Abbott and his government. Mr Abbott cannot be allowed to get away with abandoning this funding for public education. He intends to charge hundreds of dollars to thousands of parents to send their children to the public schools in this country.

This government claims they have had a proper discussion with the states. But this has nothing to do with improving education outcomes for children and everything to do with cost-shifting and privatisation. We know the more pressure this government can put onto states by cutting education and cutting health the more it will force them to have to look at the GST and increasing that. We know that what this government cannot do through the front door they will do, by whatever means they can, through the back door.

To have a world-class education system in this country, we needed this incoming government to live up to the commitment that they gave by fully rolling out the Gonski initiatives. That was the only way we were going to have the best outcomes for every Australian child. Every child, no matter what their education ability, needs to be able to reach their highest academic achievement. But they also need to have access to drama, to sport, to music, to have those extra teachers in the classrooms, to have smaller classrooms. I really do not think that that is too much to ask from this government. But, as we have seen in so many other policy areas, we know that Mr Abbott still resides in the 1960s—and that is where he is taking education in this country.

We have fought Mr Abbott and his government on a whole range of things since we have been in opposition. We did it when he wanted to cut the pension, which would have cost Australian pensioners $80 a week. We stood up with the Australian people—and we can do the same here and now. I know that Labor will always stand up for public education. We will always stand up to ensure every Australian child has the world's best education system in this country. I also believe that the Australian community will send a very strong message to this government that they will not stand by and see this government attack public education in this country.

We know that there are some students who struggle to meet their academic achievements. What they need is more help and assistance. They need more highly skilled teachers. They need to have teachers' aides. They need more money put into education so that they can reach their personal achievements and their personal ambitions of having the best education they can. We know that there still needs to be more money put into numeracy and literacy in this country. We also know the benefits that come from participating in sport and having access to music in our education system. We always know that students do much better with smaller class sizes.

I, for one, and those of us in opposition will never trust Mr Abbott and Mr Pyne to deliver a good education system in this country. It does not matter whether you are talking about education and cutting funds to the states, or whether you are talking about deregulating the universities. We know those opposite have always believed—it is in their DNA—that you should not be able to go on to university if you cannot afford to pay your way. They want to see us go down the path of the American system.

In my home state of Tasmania, where we have a very low retention rate when it comes to tertiary education, we should be doing more. Having met with the vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania very recently, it was reaffirmed to me—and it is something even I know—that instilling the value of education and ensuring that you have as many students as possible going on to tertiary education starts in primary school and is then continued on in the high school years. That is the way that we are going to get more Tasmanians going on to tertiary education.

This quite clearly is another election promise that has been broken. This is an election promise that has been broken just as the one was with the attack on pensions in this country. It is fundamentally every Australian's right to have the best education possible.

Senator Bushby interjecting—

We also know—and we have the interjections from the other side—that you cannot trust anything they say. Even Mr Abbott said himself: if it is written down, then you can believe it. We know that you cannot believe anything this government says about the election commitments that they gave on the eve of the election—that there would be no change and no cut to education and no change to pensions. They have done exactly the opposite to that.

I, along with my colleagues, will fight this every step of the way to the next election. The Australian people know, because they know our reputation on this. They know those in political parties like the Australian Labor Party will always put education first. They will always put their money on a Labor government delivering better outcomes in education.

Senator Bushby interjecting—

I am really disappointed with Senator Bushby from Tasmania. He should be working with us to ensure that every Tasmanian has the best opportunities to achieve their personal ambitions. (Time expired)