Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Finance (Senator Cormann) and the Minister for Education and Training (Senator Birmingham) to questions without notice asked by Senators Collins and O'Neill today relating to school funding.

I farewell those students from Sacred Heart College in South Australia. It's a very fine school, a terrific school. About Easter time 100 years ago my grandfather was at the Western Front, fighting in World War I. He'd been born in Jamestown in the mid-north of South Australia, not far from where the Musk batteries are now. His father was Irish and his mother was Australian, but her mother was also Irish. His mother had died when he was one year old, and he ended up being brought up by his grandmother, Ellen Silverthorne.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hope this is going somewhere.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, it's coming to the point, Senator Macdonald.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, today. While he was fighting in World War I in Ypres 100 years ago—in fact, not that far from where Senator Cormann came from—his grandmother used to write to him. Being of Irish extraction, she was very critical of the fact that he had decided to sign up and fight for England, but he persisted. He was injured at one stage and gassed at one stage, but fortuitously he returned to South Australia after 3½ years at the front and then married my grandmother. Coming back from that war, he was looking for employment. He was an accountant before he left, but unfortunately it was a very difficult time for Irish people and particularly Irish Catholics in South Australia, and they were discriminated against. On the doors of employers where jobs were available there were signs saying, 'Catholics need not apply.'

I thought we'd seen the end of discrimination, bigotry and sectarianism in South Australia, but I've been very surprised by the comments of Senator Birmingham in the last couple of days referring to statements by the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria in support of the Labor Party as being 'bought by a few pieces of silver'. I think he means 30 pieces of silver, but he said 'a few pieces of silver'. I don't believe Senator Birmingham is a bigot or sectarian or seeks to discriminate against Catholics, but it's very easy to interpret his comments in that way, and I think most Catholics would see those comments of Senator Birmingham in that light.

There is an opportunity, I think, for Senator Birmingham to correct the record. There's an opportunity for him to now say, 'Yes, I realise these sorts of comments are inappropriate.' They're not the way in which a federal minister in this government should be referring to members of the Victorian Catholic education office. There's now an opportunity for Senator Birmingham to withdraw those comments. I'd strongly urge Senator Birmingham to take the opportunity now to come into this place, come into this chamber and say 'Yes, my comments were inappropriate.' A week and a half out from Easter, this is not the way he should be making references to members of the Victorian Catholic education office. I'd very strongly urge Senator Birmingham to take the opportunity now, before this issue starts to steamroll and get worse and we find ourselves in a situation where we're back to the bad old days in terms of sectarianism in this country and this state, to withdraw. (Time expired)

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pot, kettle, black. We've got the Labor Party standing up here today, accusing Minister Birmingham of starting some sort of sectarian battle, when they're the ones who have, quite frankly, made a funding offer to a particular sector of the education system that doesn't apply to any other part of the education system, and in a way that fundamentally misrepresents what this government is trying to do in education.

It's one of the myths that we constantly hear—it's important to say this for all those people listening out there and all those people up in the gallery. There are no cuts to school funding from this government. The Quality Schools package in fact delivers an extra $25.3 billion on top of the 2016-17 budget in recurrent school funding over the next 10 years. That's 10 years out to 2027—a very solid and serious commitment to the funding of all students in every education sector of Australia over the next decade. That is both significant and very important. Funding for Catholic schools, in fact, is estimated to grow from $6.3 billion in 2017 to $6.6 billion in 2018, to $7.6 billion in 2021 and to $9.9 billion in 2027. The Catholic schools system will receive a total of $28.4 billion in Commonwealth recurrent funding over the four years from 2018 to 2021. What we are doing here is providing significant and accounted-for funding for all parts of the education sector, including the Catholic education sector, over the next 10 years. This is an average per-student increase in the Catholic sector of 3.7 per cent over the next decade, clearly higher than inflation.

Funding is provided directly to the Catholic system and not to individual schools. It is the Catholic systems that redistribute this growing level of funding to their schools according to their own needs based model. The move to a six-year transition for schools or systems below the targeted Commonwealth shares of the funding standard provides additional funding compared to the 10-year transition that was originally proposed. We also have the National School Resourcing Board undertaking a review of socioeconomic status, score methodology and current capacity to contribute arrangements for non-government schools and systems. This will look at the funding in this area and ensure that it is adequate. The board has already met with representatives from the Catholic schools sector, including principals from Victoria. The government will provide additional funding to support transition to the new funding arrangements for ACT Catholic schools.

This is a government and a minister committed to providing significant and budgeted funding for schools over the long term, so schools and school sectors, such as the independent sector and the Catholic sector, can plan for the future and can plan with certainty. What's most important for the schools sector is to know what's coming, when it's coming, to be able to plan for increases in students and to be able to plan for the educational needs of those students over time. So what we need are numbers that can be believed—not fantasy numbers, which is usually what we get from the other side. Here we have $25.3 billion in recurrent funding over 10 years. That brings the total Commonwealth recurrent funding to almost $250 billion out to 2027. This is real needs based funding. The real needs based funding is provided and grows from $17½ billion this year to $31 billion in 2027. This is dealing with the education system in a fair way. It's giving students what they need, it's giving the various parts of the education system certainty going forward and it is fair across all parts of the education system.

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

What Catholic parents understand is that the changes that Minister Birmingham made are not fair. I suggest to Senator Brockman that he have a discussion with former Senator Back, who at least partially understood how these changes disadvantage Catholic schools from his history with the Western Australian Catholic Education Commission board. Unfortunately, unlike former Senator Back, this minister is able to delude his colleagues, as in the talking points we just heard from Senator Brockman—and that is what they are. They are the minister's spin.

The minister spun again in question time today. He misled the Senate and he is misrepresenting David Gonski. He's misrepresenting David Gonski because this minister and this government have single-handedly dismantled the Gonski principles. This minister's principles are not the Gonski principles, and anyone who believes otherwise has been fooled. This minister set up his own creation and what he subsequently told us was, 'Oh, gosh, I upset the Catholics and I don't know why. In retrospect, had I known, I may not have done some of this.' Today, you've got this minister claiming that the School Resourcing Board is doing work that Labor is ignoring. That is simply not true. What Labor said in its letter referred to by Senator Brockman, as we have consistently said since this fabrication of Gonski 2, was that Labor would return the $17 billion to government and non-government schools that this minister has ripped out. We said we would return it and we quantified what that meant for Catholic schools over the next two years. There's no shock in that, and Catholic parents are alive to it because they're the ones who are facing the fee increase as a consequence of what this government has done.

Senator Cormann and the Prime Minister can keep their heads in the sand if they want. But, if they don't get a sense of the con that this minister is running here and if they continue to defend him, then these problems will occur again and again. You will get, like in the story in today's Australian, Catholic school parents who will clearly say, 'Our priorities are our children's education. I might have voted green in the past, but once I understood'—no politicking here; sheer facts—'what changes this government was making and how it impacted on my school, I was prepared to vote for Labor in Batman.' This is not politicking, as Minister Birmingham might pretend; this is responding to facts. This is advocacy and this is fair game because of the unfair changes that this government has made.

Whilst we talk about politicking, boy, has this been the biggest example of projection that I have ever seen. This minister projects by accusing others of politicking, while he reverts, probably through a brain snap that he should apologise for, to cheap sectarianism. He didn't deny it today. All he has said is that he won't apologise, when he should.

In my time here I have not come across this type of cheap sectarianism before. I've been accused of many things myself, but I have not seen a senior political representative refer to another party as Judas Iscariot, and it's outrageous. He should apologise. He should be counselled by the Prime Minister. Senator Cormann should not be defending him, and it should be noted for what it was—that is, Simon Birmingham is starting to run out of spin. The facts are coming forward. The parents are facing the increases in school fees. As Paul Bongiorno highlighted in a piece today—

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Paul Bongiorno—a member of the Labor Party!

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

Yes, Paul Bongiorno—Catholic education faces a cut of 12 per cent under Gonski 2, whereas independent schools face only two. Justify that difference. (Time expired)

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You know the Labor Party's in trouble when they start quoting Paul Bongiorno—lovely fellow he is, but clearly a card-carrying member of the Labor Party, and he has been for some time. As I said, a nice fellow, and good luck to him for his wrong political opinions, but don't quote him as an authority.

Senator Collins has brought a sectarian element into this debate, which I find unfortunate. I'd just say to Senator Collins that she should listen to what the Catholic Church said about her and some of her colleagues in the same-sex marriage debate, when many from the Catholic Church felt left by some members of the Labor Party. I really don't think we should get involved in that, but I want to get back to the principal opposition speaker, Senator Farrell. I'm authorised to say, Senator Farrell, that I found your history of your Irish ancestors and the First World War very interesting—almost as interesting, I might say, as Senator Simon Birmingham's Irish grandfather, who lost a leg at Polygon Wood, a major battle in World War I. Simon's grandfather, Patrick O'Loghlen, would probably have shared the battlefields with Senator Farrell's forebears, and I hope they got on well there together.

I'm pleased to enter into this debate, because it allows me to pass on publicly to Senator Birmingham and Mr Turnbull the thanks of a school that I was at just last Friday, up in Charters Towers in Queensland. I pay my respects to Columba College, the amalgamation of the old Mount Carmel College and St Mary's College at Charters Towers. They joined together a few years ago to form Columba College and are the recipients of a $4 million grant from the Turnbull government to do some wonderful extensions to their science blocks, to their school rooms, joining some work that the parents of that school did in improving the school playing fields, the quadrangle and the central meeting area. It was a wonderful experience I had on Friday, and I have many of them in North Queensland, more often than not at Catholic schools. And I mention—not that it matters—that I'm not a Catholic myself. But I love going to Catholic schools. They do wonderful work, and all credit to Columba College Principal Mr Daniel McShea. Congratulations, Sir, on the wonderful work that you and the P&C and all of your staff do there, and congratulations to the wonderful young people at that school.

I promised the Bishop of North Queensland and the principal that I would accede to their request of personally thanking Mr Turnbull and Senator Birmingham for the support that they have given to that school and to most other Catholic schools. I well know Catholic education in Townsville—and I pay respects to Cathy Day, who's just about to retire, unfortunately—and understand how pleased the Catholic Church, particularly in the dioceses of North Queensland and Far North Queensland, are with the school funding they receive from the current federal government.

Mr Acting Deputy President, I don't have much time left, but, finally, I just want to again correct Senator Collins. She seemed to be playing that basest form of politics, in trying to bring religion and sectarianism into debates in this chamber. But she also got Professor Gonski completely wrong. I remind Senator Collins that actually Professor Gonski stood with the Prime Minister and Senator Birmingham when the new, wonderful package increasing funding to all school children was announced. If Professor Gonski was there, supporting the Prime Minister and Senator Birmingham, you can see how totally false are the claims made by Senator Collins in her very, very poor contribution to this debate in the Senate.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Macdonald. I know that you're focused on your contribution, but I am not 'Mr Acting Deputy President'.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm sorry.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The others really have their heads buried in the sand on this issue. It's quite remarkable—when we've gone through a by-election in Batman, where this was a significant issue, particularly in the last week of the campaign, and where Labor put on record its commitment to supporting Catholic education—and quite interesting that those opposite really dismiss it. They can say, 'Well, that contest in Batman was just Labor versus the Greens; it wasn't really consequential for the Liberals and Nationals.' But what they need to know is: what happened in Batman is going to happen and be replicated right across Australia by the time the next election comes around. I know what families will believe when it comes to school funding, and that's not the spin from those opposite. They'll believe the information coming out from the sector that their children go to school at, and that is going to be rammed home to them. And that's what we saw in Batman.

So it's very disappointing—and we've sort of got used to it from Minister Birmingham; we know that he comes in here and delivers his lines—that there's not more fight on the backbench. We see that fight from Tony Abbott, the former Prime Minister. He's prepared to bell the cat and say what is actually happening out there in the community. But those backbenchers on the Senate side at the moment—particularly since former Senator Back has left—have really quietened down.

But the issue isn't going away. Those families and parents out there who are concerned and making choices about where their kids go to school want to know that they are being adequately funded. It's outrageous for the minister to attack the legitimate concerns of a sector, the Victorian Catholic schools sector, with the comments that he made.

But it's probably not surprising that he would do it, given that the standards of this government are slipping. We saw it over recent weeks, with Minister Dutton and his basic dog whistling when it came to South African farmers. We saw it during the Senate estimates process, with Senator Cash and her comments about the staffers in Bill Shorten's office. Neither one of them apologised. Neither one of them have said that they did the wrong thing. They really backed those comments in. And we've seen the same from Senator Birmingham in the last 48 hours as well. You would really hope that there would be a higher standard from a federal cabinet minister, and you would also hope that there would be a higher standard from the government that would pull these people into line. But we see none of that from those opposite.

Let's go to the division that we've seen on this issue. Former Prime Minister Abbott said on radio yesterday that this is 'going to make low-fee schools in middle-class suburbs almost impossible to run'. He went on to say that Catholic schools would 'suffer a big loss in funding'. That was coming from a member of their government—indeed, the former Prime Minister—completely contradicting what we hear from ministers and what we've seen from the contribution of other members in this debate so far today.

So, for Senator Macdonald to come in here and talk about some funding for a new building—that's one thing. But this is actually going to the ongoing funding of those schools. As someone who spends a lot of time in Queensland, and regional Queensland in particular, I know the concern that these schools are going to have. Already the opportunities for kids in regional Queensland and other parts of regional Australia aren't as great as they are for those from capital cities. Any further funding divide is only going to accentuate those problems, so there are going to be fewer opportunities for those kids from lower socioeconomic areas, from remote areas, to get the start in life that they need through primary school and through high school. This is what former Prime Minister Abbott is actually laying on the table. Those opposite who repeat the lines from Senator Birmingham and stick to the script are going to pay a price for this when it comes to the election, because parents understand this issue. From what I can pick up when I'm picking my kids up from school, parents absolutely know every issue going on in their school, as you'd expect them to. They understand this issue, and when it comes closer to the federal election they will increasingly look to who they are going to take their advice from about who is going to be better for their schools when it comes to ongoing funding.

The final comment that I want to make is a quote from former Prime Minister Abbott:

… if the government was smart we would have a look at our existing policy.

So the former Prime Minister Abbott is putting it out there that the government needs to relook at its policy. But what we've seen is a stonewalling from those opposite today, not a willingness to engage about legitimate concerns raised by the Victorian Catholic education sector that are only going to spread as we get closer to a federal election. So I urge them to relook at this issue, because it is such an important one for Australian families.

Question agreed to.