Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Government Service Delivery, Senator Arbib. Further to the question taken by the minister yesterday from Senator Marshall, can the minister explain why Mulgildie State School west of Bundaberg in my home state of Queensland received $250,000 under Building the Education Revolution specifically to build a basic 60-square-metre shed, having previously received a $29,000 quote from a local builder for a similar structure?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for your question, Senator Mason. Before I answer the question, I am sure that Senator Mason would be happy to know that under the Building the Education Revolution the federal government is spending $2.1 billion on 1,722 schools and 5,360 projects in Queensland. I am sure he would be happy to know that. I am happy to look into the issue that Senator Mason has raised. I also want to check the accuracy of the issue because I have been following the debate in the other place and a number of the issues that have been raised in there by the shadow minister for education have been proven outside question time to be 100 per cent incorrect. So, Senator Mason, I am very happy to have a look at the instance for you and come back to you with that, but I just want to make sure. We do want to get it right.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Address your comments to the chair, Senator Arbib.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I am also happy to talk about the Building the Education Revolution because it is something that I am deeply proud of and deeply passionate about.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They might find that a bit surprising. Right now we are upgrading schools across the country. Every school in the country is getting between $50,000—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate can shake his head but it is true—there is between $50,000 and $200,000 for every school across the country. It is funding that will fix their pipes and that will fix carpet. I was in Wodonga and I caught up with one of the local school principals there—I think it was Wodonga West. The floor of the kinder classroom had been eaten by— (Time expired)

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister assure the Senate that schools and taxpayers are getting the best value for money for projects approved by the government under the Building the Education Revolution? Are the most competitive tenders being chosen for each individual school project?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The tender process is going through the state governments—that is correct. In terms of procurement, state governments are responsible for that. But can I tell you—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was waiting for silence, Senator Faulkner.

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is just a very brief point of order, Mr President. I wondered if you had heard any interjections from the opposition side of the chamber.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I did not, Senator Faulkner. I am waiting for silence, and then Senator Arbib can proceed.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I will pass on the comments about state governments to the Western Australian government. I am sure they will be very interested in hearing how you view their competency. So there is a procurement process in place. There is direct employment and there is also indirect employment that is coming out of this stimulus. On the direct side, there are 35,000 individual projects across the country. What is this going to mean? It is going to mean work for tradespeople, work for contractors, work for carpenters and work for electricians. That is the action that the government is taking during the global recession. What are the indirect consequences? Suppliers will get a benefit out of this. Department stores—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And they like the photo opportunities, the Liberals. The thumbs-up from a Liberal MP— (Time expired)

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the government then guarantee that buildings are being built in accordance with the industry rate for similar structures for each individual project?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In terms of the Building the Education Revolution guidelines—and there are some pretty stringent guidelines—there is a template put in place that ensures that all requirements are met. Can I just say, though, that the question—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time for debating this question is post question time. I understand that some people get excited from time to time but the person answering the question, and also the person asking the question, is entitled to be heard in silence. I have said that on a number of occasions this week.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This question and the antics that have been going on in the other place just show how out of touch the Liberal Party are with average Australians. I have not been to one school where they have not been absolutely thankful for what the government is providing. Let me tell you why they are thankful. They are thankful because under the previous government—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They do not want to hear this. Under the previous government, guess what? Funding to education went backwards by five per cent. They cut funding in education. We were the only developed country where education investment went backwards. That was your commitment to schools. That was your commitment to universities. The government is undertaking this funding because of the neglect of the previous government. (Time expired)