House debates

Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Questions without Notice

Education Funding

2:48 pm

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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's decision to cut $1 billion from trades training centres and cancel all future centres. Given that the Prime Minister promised no cuts to education before the election, what other cuts is the Prime Minister hiding from voters in Western Australia in its secret Commission of Audit Report?

Photo of Tony AbbottTony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

Labor promised 2,650 trades training centres but delivered less than 10 per cent of them. That is almost as bad as the former Minister for Health's performance when it comes to superclinics. When it comes to incompetence they are all of a piece.

Photo of Mr Tony BurkeMr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In the last parliament, the relevance rule was changed to 'direct relevance'. There has to be a meaning given to the insertion of the word 'direct'. The Prime Minister cannot in any way be seen as being directly relevant to the question he was asked.

Photo of Mrs Bronwyn BishopMrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will return to the question.

Photo of Tony AbbottTony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

We are putting $1.2 billion back into schools funding that members opposite cut out of it in their pre-election fiscal outlook statement, and we are paying for it by not proceeding with a Labor campaign commitment.