Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for Education, and Minister for Social Inclusion. I refer her to the offer she has made in the answer to the previous question to visit the Langwarrin Primary School and I remind her of the offer she made to visit the Wahroonga Public School in the member for Bradfield’s electorate many months ago. I would remind her that she has been followed up by the member for Bradfield with a formal invitation. As she has not visited the Wahroonga Public School, as she offered to do many months ago, is her promise to Langwarrin Primary School as hollow as her promise to the students of the Wahroonga Public School?

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

I thank the shadow minister for his question. I do recall that from the member for Bradfield. I also recall that the member for Bradfield then, I believe, wrote to me as the next step and was then in contact with my office. We were looking at a relevant time for me to go, trying to work through with the member for Bradfield about me attending. I actually followed it up personally at one point because I was keen to spend some time with the member for Bradfield, particularly in circumstances where he had announced that this would be his last parliament. We worked together very closely when I first came to this parliament. I obviously can ascertain from my office where those discussions are up to. I was very enthusiastic to go and I remain very enthusiastic to go and spend some time with the member for Bradfield.

More broadly, I say to the shadow minister who asked me the question that it does seem to me passing strange that we are on a day when unemployment figures came out—when the talk of the nation, I think, will be on economic circumstances facing this country during a global recession, about what today’s unemployment numbers mean, about what the future will be with unemployment—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr Speaker, and it is relevance: this is about the spin and whether or not this minister can be believed.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Dickson will resume his seat. The Deputy Prime Minister is responding to the question.

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

Another performance from an opposition shadow minister bound to convince people that they are ready for government! I say to the shadow minister: I cannot see anybody ever wanting him in charge of Australia’s health system. I say to the shadow minister that it does strike me as passing strange on a day when we are dealing with unemployment numbers—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Pyne interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sturt!

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

when people are talking about the impact of the global recession on our economy, when people are concerned about jobs, when we are talking about economic stimulus to support jobs today and when we are talking about an education revolution to overcome almost 12 years of Liberal neglect, that the high point of questioning from the Liberal Party and its supposed attack—the attack it has been working on all weekend and all week, its supposed hard hitting attack on me as minister and on the government generally—has come to a question of whether or not I have attended one individual school. I say to those opposite: if there is a former minister of the Howard government who can honestly walk to the despatch box and say that they responded to—and went—to every invitation that ever came into their office I would be very surprised.

Opposition Member:

You offered it. You wanted to go. You stood there and offered it.

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

I would be very happy to attend a school—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Pyne interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sturt is warned!

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

I doubt the member for Bradfield is saying that he went and did the job to every invite he ever received from anyone when he was minister.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Dickson is warned!

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

I am going to say about the member for Bradfield though that he is someone who spent a lot of his time going around the country. I think that stood him in good stead in one leadership ballot after the 2007 election. It might not have stood him in enough good stead in the next leadership ballot—but there we have it. I say to the opposition: the big issues in this nation today are issues about which the opposition has absolutely nothing to say. Whilst I have been on my feet—and the member for Bradfield and I can pursue this discussion—I have been advised by my office that we have scheduled time—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Of course the opposition caterwaul, but apparently we had advised his office, well before question time today, that I could be there on 25 September. We are waiting to hear back from his office. If the member for Bradfield wants to return that call, which was made before the shadow minister for education got involved in a matter we were dealing with perfectly competently ourselves, then I will be very happy to go and hang out with him on 25 September.