Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Training, Senator Birmingham. When they went to vote at the last election, South Australians saw official Liberal Party signs that said, 'Liberals will match Labor's school funding dollar for dollar.' Why did the Liberal Party say one thing at the election and do another afterwards by cutting $30 billion from schools?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You took $1.23 million out of schools in WA.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because they cannot be trusted; that is why.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my right and on my left. Senators on both sides.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Gallacher for the question, because it gives me an opportunity to make sure that this Senate is fully cognisant of the facts in relation to school funding.

The coalition government not only matched Labor's commitments to school funding in the forward estimates dollar for dollar but bettered them.

Senator Cormann interjecting—

We bettered them to the tune of $1.2 billion, as my friend the finance minister interjects. It is very clear that we have delivered through the budget cycle every cent that was there when we came to office, plus $1.2 billion more. Why is that the case? That is the case, of course, because those opposite, in one of the clever accounting tricks that they love to play, in the run-up to the election took all extra funding out for the state of Queensland, took all extra funding out for the state of Western Australia, and took all extra funding out for the Northern Territory. They were going to try to run a school system and school funding arrangements from the federal government level in which they funded some states vastly differently to how they funded other states. We put the $1.2 billion back in. We put it back in to ensure that every school student in every state, no matter where the boundaries on the map were drawn, was getting fair support from the federal government in the future.

So, Senator Gallacher, you can come in here and ask about what we have delivered in relation to the budget for schools; we have delivered more than you had left in the budget. We have delivered some $69.4 billion in funding over the four-year period, an increase of more than 27 per cent over a four-year period. That is a vast increase in school funding, delivered by the coalition government, delivered in excess of what we found in the budget when we came to office.

Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Why did the Liberal Party promise to match school funding dollar for dollar before the election, but after the election cut the equivalent of $3.2 million from each and every school, the same as sacking one in seven teachers?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously literacy and comprehension understanding in Australia extends to some of those in the Australian Labor Party, because clearly they were not listening to the answer that I gave before. We ensured that every dollar was there. We put in $1.2 billion extra. Far from any suggestion of there being cuts, what we have delivered, what we are delivering, is increased year on year. Across every single year of the forward estimates there is extra money in the budget for Australian schools. Those opposite want to run a campaign that is based on fear and lies and that misleads the Australian people, but the truth is we have delivered every cent that was in the budget. We put an extra $1.2 billion in and every single year into the future we are budgeting on increasing funding to schools. So: no cuts. Far from it; extra support from those on this side of the chamber.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're a grub.

Government senators interjecting—

You're a fraud.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On both sides, order.

Senator Birmingham interjecting—

Senator Cormann interjecting—

Senator Jacinta Collins interjecting—

Senator Collins, order.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, he says we cannot read.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I said you don't comprehend.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Collins, I think you need to withdraw that remark.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What's that?

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

Which word?

A government senator: Fraud!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not going to repeat what was said, Senator Collins, but what you said across the chamber directed at Senator Birmingham.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will withdraw.

Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Last year, the minister said when visiting his local public school that it was an underwhelming experience. If the minister considers his own local school to be underwhelming, why doesn't he resource it properly by delivering on the full six years of Gonski school funding as promised? May I take the liberty, Mr President, of tabling documentary evidence of the veracity of this line of questioning?

Leave not granted.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The unfortunate thing we have seen from those opposite is not only that they do not understand what we are delivering in relation to school funding and the record amounts that are going into Australian schools and that they have an unfortunate misconception that, somehow, extra funding is the one thing that makes a difference, rather than how you use it, but that they fail to recognise the financial risk created for Australian taxpayers by their promises. As Senator Wong's friend, the South Australian Labor Premier, Mr Jay Weatherill, has said, those opposite have no coherent plan with which to deliver these policies in terms of the finances. As has been reported by the Grattan Institute, the Labor Party are 'taking a severe structural budget problem and making it even worse.' Those opposite are being grossly irresponsible in their promises. They fail to recognise that the most important thing you do in schools is focus on the areas that make a difference and that how you use money is far more important than how much you promise. (Time expired)