House debates Questions without Notice
Indigenous Affairs
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
3:06 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. This month I visited the Bubup Wilam Early Learning Centre in Thomastown. It is a centre that provides vital early education help and family support services for vulnerable Indigenous children and families. This centre is now one of 38 centres across Australia facing closure because of the Prime Minister's cuts to Indigenous services. Why should the children who go there, and their parents, pay for the Prime Minister's broken promises.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I fear that members opposite are in fact misleading the House in this area. I really do.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
There will be silence on my left.
Mr Shorten interjecting—
The Leader of the Opposition will desist.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
My recollection of this is that the former government did make capital funding available for Indigenous childcare centres.
Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
It made no recurrent funding available and the capital funding came out, as I understand it, on 1 July this year. So members opposite, when they were in government, made capital funding available. The capital funding that they made available ceased, as I understand it, on 1 July and they never made recurrent funding available because, quite properly, they thought recurrent funding for preschools should be provided by state and territory governments. I know they have got—
Mr Shorten interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition and the Treasurer will desist.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Members opposite cannot help themselves. They think that more money is the answer to every single problem. The reality is that if there have been any cuts in this particular area, they are cuts put in place by the former government.