Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lyons for his question, which did much more than fill the void; it is a great question. It enables me to celebrate with him and with members on this side of the House the fact that we have received advice from the Ouse district school in his electorate that it is the first Tasmanian school to complete construction in the Primary Schools for the 21st Century program, so that is great news. The school received $250,000 and now has a new multipurpose hall, of which they can be very proud.

I am also pleased to say to the member for Lyons and to the members of this House that supported this important program, building the education infrastructure that we need for the future while supporting jobs today, that this project in the member for Lyons’s electorate has supported local jobs. It has supported a total of approximately 35 on-site workers in the member for Lyons’s electorate and approximately 12 of those were apprentices employed on the project engaged in carpentry, joinery, electrical work, mechanical services, plumbing, painting, plastering, glazing and concreting—and I think that is terrific news as well.

I am asked about responses to the Building the Education Revolution program. For those who care about education—government members and Independent members in this House—it has been a response of enthusiasm. On the other side we see the opposition in disarray and acting as a complete rabble. They come to this parliament and criticise Building the Education Revolution. They go back home and they cannot wait to be associated with it. The shadow minister for education does not do much work on education. He gets on the internet occasionally and pulls up a photograph and then runs into this House and makes completely incorrect claims. Yesterday the member for Sturt came into this parliament and claimed, with props and all, that the Perseverance Primary School was going to receive $60,000 per student for their five students. Let me quote the words of the Australian newspaper on this.

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