Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Speaker. I have to say at the outset that we have enjoyed good cooperative relationship with all elements of the education sector. As we resolve the final details in our negotiations with them, and then have the opportunity to make them public, of course we will do so. In fact, we believe in transparency here. If I look at what we have done with schools and investment in this nation, I can say that under this Labor government we have never in the Commonwealth had a period where there has been more investment or more substantial policy reform in education. Do not stand up here and play tricky questions at the end of this week when you are faced with the possibility that your policy will see less investment going to students in both your electorate and electorates around the country.

In case you have not remembered, this is the government that has been responsible for nearly doubling the investment in education over four years, the government that has improved every school facility in our nation with Building the Education Revolution, the government that has introduced for the first time a national curriculum, one that the shadow minister opposite now wants to rewrite according to his view of history. This is a government that totally understands that supplying additional resources to lift the skills and capacities of all young Australians is the charge that lies at the heart of our mission and our agenda. And we will deliver. (Time expired)

See this speech in context