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

Those opposite interject and ask, 'How are you going to pay for it?' We have just spent all of question time talking about our tax policy and about how we are going to pay for things. We have outlined all of our savings measures so that we can invest in the priorities.

The truth is government is about priorities. We stand here and we say very clearly that education is our No. 1 priority. We know that a strong economy relies upon a strong education system. We know that a fair community relies upon a strong education system. So we are quite up-front about saying that we have made some hard decisions across a number of portfolios because we think it is worth it to make sure that every child in this country gets the opportunity for a great education, no matter what postcode they happen to live in, no matter what school system they happen to be enrolled in. I would say to those opposite, particularly those from regional areas, all of the evidence shows that country students are falling behind at the quickest rate at the moment. Those opposite who are meant to represent those areas might get on board. (Time expired)

See this speech in context