Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Marshall for his question and his continuing interest in the education of Victorian students. Education of course is the first priority of a Labor government because it is critical to the future of this nation. We believe that schools are the gateways to a richer and a fairer society, a society whereby one's income or one's postcode should not determine one's future, unlike those opposite who promote the idea that education does not matter.

I read their recent utterances, their directions, their so-called values for policy priorities—and what do we find? At priority No. 17 we find education—No. 17, that is their priority! They have the view of those who hide in the deep, dark recesses of ignorance. That is what they wish to peddle. We saw today that there is a senator here who has yet to turn on the computer and who thinks that this is a path to a modern world. We see nothing in their statement about the $2.8 billion cuts that they propose to make to education. We know that their namesakes in Victoria under Mr Baillieu are cutting half a billion dollars from the Victorian education budget.