Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is right—a promise they didn't make. The public are a lot smarter than that and they realise what this government are up to. They realise the flaws in their argument and that is why they have had to come cap in hand and reach a settlement with regard to the mistakes they have made and stump up to the commitments that we made in government.

What concerns me is what is happening in my state when it comes to education. This is my concern about not having that commitment to have some say when you reach agreement with another party over what you are going to do with that money. In my state of Queensland the government there are actually closing schools down. They are selling off parts of those schools and school grounds. What is going to happen to the education of those children? At this stage there are some six schools that have closed down in Queensland and a further two that are being considered. This is a typical example of why you need, when you reach agreement with a party, to have some commitment, some trust, some accountability of how you are going to spend that money. But this government will hand over a blank cheque to those primary schools and secondary schools in how they are going to spend that money.

Senator Kroger interjecting—

They do not really care, as long as they just get that money and get that support that they wish to obtain in the future. Once again, the people do not trust you. They are wise to you, Senator Kroger. You have been found out. (Time expired)