Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

There's clearly been a breakdown in communication between Labor Party senators and Labor Party people in other parts of the country. There's clearly been a breakdown. Earlier today, just in the last little while, the federal Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, issued a press release saying he has now signed the National Education Reform Agreement with the Labor state education minister in Western Australia. Let me read from it:

The Morrison Government has ensured better outcomes for Western Australian school students by delivering a record $32.3 billion of school funding and reforms to the education system, paid for by our plan for a stronger economy.

There was so much agreement between the Labor state education minister in Western Australia today and the federal coalition government led by Scott Morrison that Mr Dan Tehan, the federal Minister for Education, even applauded the cooperative way in which Sue Ellery, the state Labor education minister, conducted the negotiations with him. In the media release, what did Dan Tehan, the federal Minster for Education, say about the Labor state education minister? I quote:

I thank the Western Australian Education Minister The Hon Sue Ellery for the co-operative way she has worked with the Federal Government to ensure that record funding flows to WA schools.

There we go. Who would have thought? Something's clearly happening. Labor senators on the other side of the chamber are either telling porkies—apologies to pork and pigs and those sorts of things—or they've clearly got a different view of the world from those people who are already in government, in Western Australia, and are responsible for funding schools. There we have it.

I have a few more minutes to fill. I could end it there. I think that's powerful demonstration already that Labor senators in this place are interested in playing politics. If they were interested in a serious debate about education, they might have started with a very honest assessment about their performance when they were in government. They might have reminded us of the $16.2 billion Building the Education Revolution program. Some of us know it as the 'school halls program.' What's interesting about that is that program delivered $6 billion to $8 billion in rip-offs and rorts. That's what Labor did. That was Labor's education policy. That was Labor's education outcome. You might even remember Labor's program called the Rewards for Great Teachers National Partnership. I wish I was the education minister. I would have a program like that. Rewards for Great Teachers National Partnership was the name of the Labor program. What they thought they would do is give $10,000 to outstanding teachers in the community. I think that's noble. I went a state school. I went to Mirrabooka Senior High School. I had fantastic teachers. I'd like a program like that. How many teachers across the country were recipients of $10,000—much-needed money—through the Rewards for Great Teachers National Partnership? How many? Senator O'Neill, would you like to take a guess? Senator Hanson, would you like to take a guess?