Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Sturt promised that when he ripped up Labor's agreements. He said there was going to be a new school funding model beginning in 2015. It did not happen. It did not happen in 2016. In 2017, we are now told, we will have a new school funding model. But only this week, we have now heard from the current education minister, who has made a new promise to the Australian community. The new education minister has now said, 'We expect new funding agreements will exist from 2018 onwards.' This is the mob opposite making it up as they go along. They are now consumed by their own internal chaos; they are now preoccupied with looking over their shoulders at each other, trying to see who is in the camp of the Prime Minister and who is in the camp of the previous Prime Minister. They have absolutely no options on the table when it comes to tax reform and when it comes to policy change so that they can fund things like schools and hospitals. They are making it up as they go along, and every single Australian student will pay the price if this government do not get on board and come back to a so-called unity ticket when it comes to schools.

We on this side of the House are very proud that we will stand up for the reform and the investment that is required for a strong Australian future. We are incredibly proud. I stood alongside the Leader of the Opposition when he announced our 'Your Child. Our Future' policy, ensuring that we will not only fund the rest of the current agreements but also reverse all of the cuts of those opposite over the next 10 years with a $37 billion investment to make sure that every school and every student gets the support that they need.

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