John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. Will the minister inform the House how the government is supporting Australian school students. Are there any alternative approaches?

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

I am very pleased to answer a question from the member for Bennelong about the support that the government is giving to school students in the budget, because the truth is that we are keeping all of our election commitments in this budget to school students. Funding to school students goes up every year of the next four years in the forward estimates, peaking at $18.1 billion in 2017, which is a 3.1 per cent real increase in spending on schools. In fact, it is $100 million more than would have been the case if Labor had been re-elected, because of the $1.2 billion cut that Australia's No. 1 whinger visited on Australian school students when he was the Minister for Education. Because we are also funding school chaplains to the tune of $246 million, we are doing more for schools than Labor would if they had been re-elected.

The member for Bennelong asked me if there were any alternative approaches. I can say to the member for Bennelong that the Leader of the Opposition—Australia's No. 1 whinger—said in Perth, on 31 March, in answer to a question from a journalist on radio—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. I am just referring to your earlier comments about decorum for the House. I think that name-calling is not consistent with it.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think I have heard a bit of name-calling in some of the questions, today. I have been tolerant and let them stand. Perhaps the minister could desist from using that term again in the answer.

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

The journalist asked the Leader of the Opposition:

You have committed and you still will commit to the next election for those years five and six?

These were the so-called Gonski spending measures.

On 31 March the Leader of the Opposition said, 'Yes.' He said:

We budgeted for this when we were in Government and furthermore, what does it cost Australia if we short change our kids?

That commitment did not seem to last very long did it, Leader of the Opposition—did it, Interest Bill? The Leader of the Opposition said, in an answer to a similar question at Moonee Ponds on 22 May:

We will reveal all our policies in good time before the next election …

And on 18 May, the shadow Treasurer said:

In terms of what we would do in office, well, we would look at the proposals, we would look at the state of funding of schools and hospitals that we inherit.

The hapless shadow minister, the member for Adelaide, in 158 words to the Christian schools conference on Monday just this week, the word 'yes' did not appear once in the answer.

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why don't you read out what we did say?

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

In fact, the parents of Australia, I always suspected were being conned by the previous government in terms of their so-called blue-sky promises that they made before the election. The Leader of the Opposition committed, on 31 March, to billions and billions of dollars of new spending. Only his shadow Treasurer, his shadow minister and himself have all pulled back on the leash—

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide will desist.

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

because they know that the economic credibility will be shredded.

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide is warned.

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

They are offering not only $16 billion in foreign aid spending but $7 billion in school spending and tens of billions of dollars in health spending. They have to choose, and the choice they have made is to be dishonest with the Australian people.