House debates Questions without Notice
Gillard Government
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
2:12 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the comments of Karl Bitar, the National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party, when he said that Labor made some obvious political mistakes during the campaign, amongst them the announcement of the citizens assembly and the Epping to Parramatta rail announcement. Does the Prime Minister agree that these policy announcements were obvious political mistakes and further evidence that the government has lost its way?
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
I thank the shadow minister for education for his question. It does seem somewhat remarkable to me that on the day when the government has advised the Australian community of the new information that will be available on the My School website—a website that is transforming the way we think about national education and a website the opposition is now cat-calling about—it never had the guts or the courage or the reform drive when in government to get anything done on school transparency. It never cared once over 12 years about disadvantaged kids and it did not even have a list of the most disadvantaged schools. That is how little it cared, and on a day like today we have this kind of question.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House
Mr Albanese interjecting
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer
Mr Hockey interjecting
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The Leader of the House will cease interjecting. The member for North Sydney will ignore the interjections.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House
Put him on.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House
Mr Albanese interjecting
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer
Mr Speaker, on a point of order which goes to relevance: I simply cannot draw a link between the My School website and the question asked by the Manager of Opposition Business.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The question concluding with the words, ‘Is this further evidence that the Prime Minister has lost her way?’ opens the door for a range of responses. But I remind the Prime Minister of the requirement of the standing orders for her answer to be directly relevant to the question.
Don Randall Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The member for Canning will wait. The member for Canning is being given the call for a point of order. The member for Canning.
Don Randall Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government
Mr Speaker, the point of order is that I want the Prime Minister to withdraw that we do not care about disabled children. In the program Adopt a Politician, I have an adopted disabled person. I find it offensive.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
As I understand it, those were not the exact words that were used. The Prime Minister might assist—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! If the member for Canning wishes these things to be dealt with properly, it really would assist if he sits there quietly and listens to the explanation. I invite the Prime Minister to continue her response—and on this occasion, so that there is no misunderstanding—not as a withdrawal but as a clarification of what she said so that the member for Canning might understand what is attempting to be done here as a solution to what he has as a problem of, perhaps, perception. The member for Prime Minister. Sorry—the minister for regional Australia is the cause of my misspeak, and he will sit there quietly. The Prime Minister.
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
As I was saying, on the question of education policy and disadvantaged children, if you care about disadvantaged children then as a government you go out of your way to identify disadvantaged schools. This government has and the Howard government never did.
Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
That is not true!
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
To the shadow minister for education—
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.
Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Mr Speaker, I take personal offence at the explicit suggestion by the Prime Minister that the Howard government—
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat.
Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
did not care for disadvantaged children, and I ask—
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat. I do not believe, on the precedence of this place, that the Prime Minister has made comments that require withdrawal. It assists if, in question time, both the questions and the answers have less debate, because the only recourse I can indicate to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that she has is other forms of the House. The Prime Minister has the call.
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
In reply to the question from the shadow minister for education, the government of course is getting on with the job of building a stronger economy ready for the challenges of the future. We are getting on with the job of making sure we are governing for all Australians and providing opportunity for all. There is nothing more important to that than providing a great quality education, and the government has taken another step forward on that today. I would have thought that was of some interest to the shadow minister for education.
But it is clear from the question that he has asked that these questions of school reform are not of any interest to him. I would say to him on the question that he has asked that the government will of course provide the funding for the construction of the Epping to Parramatta rail line as promised. The opposition might be completely unconcerned about infrastructure needs for the people of Sydney, but we are of course concerned about those infrastructure needs and we are concerned about driving community consensus and acting on pricing carbon, and if the shadow minister for education is in any doubt about that I refer him to my answers in this House yesterday.