Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Can I thank my friend, the wonderful member for Whitlam. Tomorrow is Public Education Day, and I am a proud product of public education. The truth is that our public schools have never been properly funded or even on a path to full funding until now, until this government and until this Prime Minister fixed the funding of our public schools. In the budget, you see it—the biggest new investment in public education by an Australian government ever, $20 billion over the next decade. All of that is now at risk. We remember what the Liberal Party did the last time they were in power. They ripped the guts out of funding for our public schools.

On the weekend, on Sunday Agenda, with Andrew Clennell, Senator Andrew Bragg threatened to do it all over again. He repeatedly refused to rule out cuts to health and cuts to education. I think that should send a shiver down the spine of every parent around the country. But it's not the only thing that they've threatened to cut. There are two other things on the chopping block.

We're building childcare centres at the moment, right across the country, where they're needed—in our public primary schools, including two in the member for Whitlam's electorate, one in Calderwood and one in West Dapto. It makes sense because, if you're a mum or a dad with a child in primary school and a child in child care, then it means one drop off, not two. Guess what? The Liberal Party have said they'll get rid of all of that as well. We're also helping kids get the skills that they need to get ready to start school, kids like Marina's little boy, Jason. Good name; good kid. Last year, Marina couldn't get him into child care, and that little boy wasn't talking—

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