House debates

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Statements by Members

Education Funding

1:55 pm

Photo of Terri ButlerTerri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

It has been a year of lies from the Abbott government—and none more egregious than the promise that there would be no cuts to education. In Queensland, the grade 6s are graduating and they will be going to high school in 2015. What have they got in their future? They have got $4 billion in cuts over the next decade as a consequence of this government's $80 billion cut to education and health in the federal budget, the worst budget in the history of this nation. Queensland schools will be hit by $4 billion. That is what Education Queensland's old modelling says. Of that $4 billion in cuts, $1.66 billion will hit state schools and the balance is going to hit private schools. So regardless of whether you are a public school student or a private school student you are entitled to be angry at the betrayal by this Prime Minister, by the worst government in history and the worst budget in the history of Federation. One of the most egregious lies is that there was a unity ticket on Gonski. There was no unity ticket on Gonski! There was no unity ticket on school funding! You said there would be no cuts to education. The Prime Minister said that the night before the federal election. He would have said anything to get elected—and he did. He should be ashamed.