Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Hansard source

But we're really happy about the young children in our schools who are getting extra education opportunities because of the education policies of this government and the funding from this government to our South Australian schools.

But let's be clear about this: you can't come into this place and say lies. You can't come into this place and try and create an impression that something is the case when it's not. I can't tell you a better example than last night. Last night we came in here to debate the water disallowance motion that was put forward by Senator Hanson-Young. Now, if ever I have seen an attempt by somebody to try and create a false impression, a distorted impression, a factually incorrect impression, about what was going on, that was the case last night. You can't come in with motions like we've got here that say that we're having cuts and then try and condemn those opposite, us, for not supporting this motion. You've got to put the facts on the table.

The government are absolutely transparent in everything we do. I am quite happy to come in here, and I'll support any motion that gets put forward by those on the other side as long as it's factually correct. Last night Senator Hanson-Young came in here, and she made some of the most outrageous allegations, particularly outrageous allegations about Minister Littleproud. She was making allegations that were factually incorrect. She came in here and said that his brother-in-law had somehow stolen water. Now, first of all, the person that Senator Hanson-Young was referring to was not Minister Littleproud's brother-in-law. In fact, he was some distant relation of Minister Littleproud's wife. You can't use this place to conflate a story, because we have a very serious responsibility. When people listen to what we're saying, they think we have to tell the truth. They think that we are telling the truth. But when you have a situation where people are prepared to come in here and make outrageous statements, eventually the public start thinking, 'Well, what is the truth?' So then when you come in here and actually tell the truth, nobody believes you. I think there was once a book written about that, Mr Acting Deputy President. Wasn't there a story called Peter and the Wolf,about a little boy who kept saying, 'There's a wolf! There's a wolf!'? There wasn't any wolf—until the day there was a wolf. We just need to be very, very careful that we don't bring this place into a greater level of disrepute by coming in here and telling stories about things that aren't true and creating false impressions, creating 'alternative facts' and 'alternative truths', because eventually it will come back and bite us all on the tail.

Back to our education system: I've got to say, as a South Australian, that I am extraordinarily proud of the changes in our education space that have been made by the government of which I am a member. I am extraordinarily proud of the outcomes that are being delivered on the ground in our home state of South Australia—Senator Gallacher, opposite, is also a member of that community. It is a good news story, a great news story.

I think that as Australians we are, by our very nature, the kind of people who are prepared to give everything a go, but we're also confidence players. By constantly coming into this place, or going out in the media, making false representations, and making things sound bad when they're not bad but are actually quite good, all we serve to do is create a bad feeling in our communities. We create negative vibes in our schools and we make people feel that they're inferior when they're not. I think maybe the time has come that we call this out for exactly what it is: nothing more than blatant political behaviour—in this instance, obviously, so they can go back and spread all this information around the electorates in Tasmania and South Australia. They can make accusations here because they know that the parliamentary privilege that applies in this place means they don't have to tell the truth. They don't have to put on the record the fact that record school funding has been applied to all schools, across all states, across all regions, across all school sectors in Australia under this government.

Senator Birmingham, as the Minister for Education and Training, has delivered not only more money but also a better system so that we have better targeting of our money to our students. It's needs-based. We identify the individual student and we deliver on it. The other really good thing about the reforms that Senator Birmingham brought through this place, and the increased benefits that are being delivered in our education system, is that he has also recognised the huge contribution that comes out of rural and regional centres. He's recognised the fact that those children—who don't live in capital cities—equally need quality education outcomes.

If we want to get into the real election mode of all this and talk about South Australia, Mr Weatherill, the Premier of South Australia, is on the record as saying he doesn't need to worry about doing anything like spending additional money on or providing any additional impetus for rural or regional South Australia because there are no votes out there for him. He's actually on the public record as saying that. We all knew he thought that, and his behaviour has always indicated that, but it takes a special kind of guy to stand in front of the cameras and say, 'I'm not doing anything for rural and regional South Australia because there are no votes out there for me.' I've got to say, it's a very sad indictment of the government in South Australia, a tremendously sad indictment of the government of South Australia, that he would actually say that.

Hopefully, on the night of 17 March we will have a new government in South Australia, and the new Premier of South Australia will be somebody who does care about rural and regional South Australia. A Steven Marshall-led Liberal government will continue to put emphasis on and prioritise rural and regional South Australia. Steven's campaign, Regions Matter, has been really penetrating the regions. They've come up with a Royalties for Regions program so we can recognise that much of the economic activity, the powerhouse of our economy, actually comes from our farmers, who grow our food—farmers who are working along the Murray-Darling Basin, I might add. They are the people who grow our wheat, the people who run the sheep to provide the meat that we eat, and the wool, and the people who grow our vegetables and our fruit. They are the people that Steven Marshall thinks are just as important as the people who live in the Adelaide CBD.

I'm really quite surprised that those opposite would bring this motion into this place and give me the opportunity to tell you about all the really good things that are going on in South Australia. I commend our fantastic education system. I commend Senator Birmingham—a South Australian, I might say—who has delivered a fantastic quality education program for all children in all states of Australia, not just Tasmania and South Australia. We have delivered a great education system. It's fully funded and it has increased funding. The motion before us stands to be condemned. It not just frivolous; it is factually incorrect and misleading. You should be ashamed of it.