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 Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. I refer to the Prime Minister's statement on 2 August when he guaranteed, 'No school will be worse off under the coalition's school funding arrangements.' I refer the minister to his statement in question time yesterday where he said, 'There is no need for any school to be worse off.' Which is correct?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Both.

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

Thank you, Minister, for confirming that the government's commitment is completely ambiguous. Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Yesterday, Mr Pyne said:

… I can say with absolute confidence that every school will get exactly the same amount of money, or in fact better now, than they would have if Labor had been elected.

I again refer the minister to his statement that there is no need for any school to be worse off. Given the inconsistency with the minister's own statement in question time, who should Australian parents, students and teachers believe?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian people know they cannot believe the Australian Labor Party on the strength of their 'no carbon tax' promise. If I were Senator Wong, I would be going nowhere near the issue of election promises. But let us be very clear: what do the coalition stand for in education? We believe in parent power, we believe in the states undertaking their constitutional responsibility and we do not believe in Canberra control. So they are three distinct differences between those on that side and those in the coalition, who actually believe that the states do have a role and that mums and dads do have a role in the education of their children, and should have a role. The people opposite believe that, if you happen to find yourself in Canberra in this place, you somehow know it all. We actually believe that mums and dads and the states have a role to play in education as well. (Time expired)

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 further supplementary question. The Prime Minister went to the election telling the Australian people that there was an 'absolute unity ticket on school funding'. Given what the minister has said today and the inconsistencies which he has repeated today, can the minister now guarantee that no school will be worse off because of yesterday's hurried deals and state budget cuts?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In relation to honouring election promises, I feel in very great company with the Hon. Will Hodgman, who is in the gallery. He is also from Tasmania and he stood by his election promise of not doing any deal with the Greens, unlike those opposite. So I am delighted to take the supplementary question from the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is nice to see the Labor Party smiling and laughing as well!

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence on my left we will proceed.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In relation to the funding envelope, the Labor Party promised $2.8 billion. We promise $2.8 billion as well. But the former minister for finance, who now sits here as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, was part and parcel of the tactic by the then Minister for Education, now Leader of the Opposition in the other place, who took $1.2 billion out of that funding envelope which we have replaced.