House debates Questions without Notice
Education Funding
Kate Ellis Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education
2:54 pm
My question is to the Minister for Education. The minister has repeatedly said that more funding is not the solution for our schools, yet all that he has offered is funding with no strings attached. Minister, which one is it?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Members:
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
I ask for quiet on my right as well as on my left. The minister has the call.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education
2:55 pm
I thank the member for Adelaide for her question, but I must admit it is starting to feel like a turkey shoot up here. I am almost feeling sorry for the member for Adelaide, because she spent all last week saying we were not putting enough money into education, then we put $1.2 billion into education and now she is saying we are putting too much money into education. What is it? Is it too much? Is it too little? The previous government put 10 per cent more into education. They put $16.4 billion into school halls.
Ms Plibersek interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The deputy leader will remove herself under 94(a).
The member for Sydney then left the chamber.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education
They put $2.6 billion into laptops in schools. Is the shadow minister now saying that that was all wasted money? We thought a lot of it was wasted. Like the member for Perth, we are suddenly on the same team again. This is like being attacked by a pot plant! But I will treat the question seriously. The member for Adelaide asks us about whether we are putting too much money in.
Kate Ellis Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education
No, I didn't.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Adelaide will desist. She has asked her question.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education
So in effect she has admitted that the previous government took the $1.2 billion out; we have put it back in. We always said we would keep our election commitments, and we have. We have gone further than our election commitments. We have put $1.2 billion more in, but we have always said that funding is only one element of education, which is something Labor has not caught up with.
Kate Ellis Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education
So what are the other elements?
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education
We have talked about curriculum—
Kate Ellis Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education
Is that part of the agreement?
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education
we have talked about autonomy, we have talked about teacher quality, we have talked about parental engagement—
Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education
All of those priorities are shared by the states and territories, by the non-government sector, whether it is independent or Catholic. I look forward to working with all my state and territory colleagues, with the Catholics and with the independents to bring about better quality and standards for our students. At least one side of the House takes education seriously. It is this side of the House.