Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It gives me great joy to stand in this chamber and be very, very proud of my government's commitment to the future of our young people here in this country through the investment we are making into their education, into their improved literacy and numeracy standards, into improved engagement with STEM and into the skills and knowledge that will provide us a strong foundation for our future economy—because, Senator Polley, we actually care about young people and their futures. It is about the future the deserve.

What those of you who have been listening to the debate have heard thus far from the Greens and Labor has been about the battle for the hearts and minds of the AEU and United Voice—'Okay; the election is coming up and we need a little bit of mullah here and we need a little bit of help on the ground; who is going to win the hearts and minds of the AEU, the NTEU and United Voice?' That is the battle here. But what I think we should be inserting into this debate are some facts. I do not think some facts ever hurt a good debate in the Senate, and I am very, very happy to provide the chamber with some facts around this issue going forward.

What we have in this country around the debate on education and investment in our children is a national dialogue that is completely split. The research internationally shows that, if you actually want to make a difference, you get on the same page; you do not use the future of our young people as a plaything to score cheap political points. You will not win on this issue. That is what the research says. That is how Finland did it. If we want to argue about how they did it, that is what they did.

I go to the campaign that the Labor Party are running out there about Gonski. They take that man's name in vain. They take David Gonski's name and what he attempted to do in vain day after day at school gate after school gate. What did David Gonski want? He wanted a needs based funding model. That is what he suggested. But, instead, the Gillard government delivered 27 different models across different sectors and different states, buying votes here and buying union support there. Ultimately that experimented failed, because—hey, sorry—we won that election.

We are absolutely focused on ensuring that we focus on the facts and that we use the very best research, international research, about what works. It is not tipping a bucket of money; it is actually targeting funding. Senator McKim mentioned investing in our children's future. I am sure somebody on the opposite side will use the word 'investment' at some point in the debate. What you have to remember about investment is that it all about your return, Senator Polley. The return on investment is the important factor when you are putting money into an investment. If I want to focus on return on investment when it comes to education funding, when I invest in a young person's education, I want to ensure that, when they leave school, they can read and write. I want to ensure that, when they stand in front of a camera and do some rounding of numbers, there is not a $20 billion dip in those numbers. I want to ensure that our young people are numerate and literate. That is exactly what we are doing. We are focusing our funding where the facts and the research tell us to.

Another little fantasy line that Labor and the Greens like to trot out is that there are cuts to funding. What a joke! It just shows that Ms Macklin's faux pas at the front doors today was not the only innumerate statement that those opposite want to make. They say there are cuts. Let's go to the figures and see whether there is a cut. In 2014 it was $13.7 billion—

Senator Polley interjecting—

Wait for it, Senator Polley. In 2015 it was $14.9 billion. I reckon a year 3 maths—