House debates

Thursday, 30 May 2013

Questions without Notice

School Education

3:01 pm

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

My question is to the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. I refer the minister to this letter from Mary MacKillop College, a Catholic school in my electorate. I quote: 'It is time for our schools to plan their budgets and set their school fees for 2014. This is impossible to do when the level of funding of our schools is still not clear.' Can the minister tell this House how much additional funding Mary MacKillop College can expect in 2014?

3:02 pm

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

I thank the shadow minister for his question. This is the shadow minister who said that the Gonski report was 'Conski'. Then the shadow minister said that it was a road map. He dismissed it within 20 minutes of it being released and ever since then he has done everything in his power to sabotage our National Plan for School Improvement which will see additional investment going to every school in this country, including in the member's electorate.

I make this point to the member opposite: whilst he goes around trying to sabotage our National Plan for School Improvement the interests of students in both his electorate and in every electorate in this country are at risk. The reason for this is straightforward: we have made it perfectly clear—

Photo of Tony AbbottTony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

Speaker, I raise a point of order. The minister was asked a simple question: how much will MacKillop College get next year? It is a very simple question and he should be directly relevant to it.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting

Order! When there is silence the minister will get the call.

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

To the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow minister, the indexation commitments that are included in our National Plan for School Improvement mean that this school, as well as every other school in the country, including non-government schools, will see additional investments flow from 2014. I am hopeful that upon conclusion of our negotiations with the non-government school sector that same question will be asked of me in the parliament. But for the moment we should be under no illusions as to what lies behind this question because as we conclude these negotiations—

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will leave the chamber under standing order 94(a). Continual interjection will not be tolerated.

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

We should be under no illusions, nor should anyone listening be under any illusions, as to what is at stake. The question really is whether or not we will have a National Plan for School Improvement which will provide that additional investment to the school the member refers to, and every other school, or whether we have from the member opposite, who put the question to me, and the Leader of the Opposition 'A Non-Plan for School Improvement' which would see us continuing with a broken funding model and less investment going to schools around this country.

We are at a very interesting point in the future of the National Plan for School Improvement. The Premier of New South Wales recognises how important it is and he has chosen to sign up. The Chief Minister of the ACT recognised how important it is and she has chosen to sign up. I look forward to premiers from other states recognising how important it is and signing up and for the school in question and every other school to have the certainty of additional investment over time—over the period of six years—with the National Plan for School Improvement which is supported by additional investment for every school to lift the performance—

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume his seat. A point of order on relevance has already been taken. Does the Manager of Opposition Business have a point of order?

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

Speaker, I move a procedural motion:

That the minister be granted a three-minute extension in order to allow him the time to answer Mary MacKillop College's very specific question.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. There is a motion before the chair to extend the time for the member's question. Is there a seconder?

Photo of Tony AbbottTony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

Yes.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Seconded by the Leader of the Opposition. I thank the House. The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

The minister has the call. The ruling is that the minister gets half the time proposed by the member. The Manager of Opposition Business is pushing the bounds of friendship. The minister has the call.

Photo of Peter GarrettPeter 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)

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Order! The Manager of Opposition Business is seeking to table a document.

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

I seek leave to table a letter from the Principal of Mary MacKillop College.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The document was referred to in his question. Is leave granted.

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | | Hansard source

Why not? It is Thursday afternoon.

Leave granted.