Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Payne. I refer the minister to the school funding promise made by the Prime Minister on 2 August when he said:

We will honour the agreements that Labor has entered into.

Will the government keep this promise?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. In relation to the school funding commitments and arrangements that are being made with the New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian, ACT and Tasmanian governments, will the government honour those agreements in full as promised by the Prime Minister in August?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, I respond by indicating that the answer is yes.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask a further supplementary question. Prior to the press conference which was held just before question time in which the Prime Minister had to rescue the floundering Minister for Education, can the minister advise what contact or communication was had between the Premier of New South Wales or any member of the New South Wales government, the Minister for Education or herself?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will take it on notice in relation to the minister. I can advise in relation to myself: absolutely none. Let me make it absolutely clear that what we are talking about here is an education system which Labor purported to support and then in the economic statements just before the election happily ripped $1.2 billion of funding out of that funding. We know that. The Australian people know that, but you are not prepared to admit to that and that is the big difference.

We did not take $1.2 billion out of the model but we have to put it back in, though, to clean up Labor's mess. We promised a national model and a fair model. We have delivered it. We have honoured the agreements and we have matched funding. We now have in principle funding agreements with Queensland, Western Australia and Northern Territory of which the previous government— (Time expired)