Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Birmingham. I refer to an article in The Australian today in which the Minister for Education, Mr Tehan, cautioned medical students against participating in Friday's global climate strike after the head of the University of Melbourne's medical school encouraged students to participate in the strike in recognition of the significant health impacts of climate change. In response, the minister said that medical students should not be striking—they should be striking on the weekend and not about climate change. Does the minister agree with his colleague that school strikes should only take place on the weekend?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator very much for his question, because those who wish to exercise their right to freedom of speech in Australia to protest, to strike and to make public statements are absolutely entitled to do so. That is something that our government strongly and passionately defends. However, where taxpayers are funding education and services for students to receive, our view is that if you want to go out and protest, if you want to go out and exercise your right to free speech, go your hardest but do it at a time of day and in a place where taxpayers are not footing the bill for your education. Do it at a time and in a place when you are in your own time, not when the taxpayer is paying or contributing towards what it is you're doing to receive an education. That was put very plainly by Mr Tehan, and I thank you very much, Senator, for quoting him. Mr Tehan wasn't saying that people aren't entitled to protest or aren't entitled to have their say, but he was very clear in his messaging to indicate that, if they're going to do so, they should do it in their own time, not on the taxpayer's dime.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Steele-John, a supplementary question?

Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that the minister is a conservative and, therefore, may not have much personal experience with the types of civil disruption that are often the leading cause of social change. However, given the point of a strike is to cause disruption in order to effect social change, can the government now understand why a strike outside of school hours, outside of business time, would defeat the purpose of a strike? In other words, mate, do you understand what a strike even is? (Time expired)

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Steele-John for the historical undertaking, lecture or otherwise in relation to the purpose of strike actions and why it is that people may engage in civil disobedience. Our position is quite clear: the actions of students in doing so do mean that the potential is that additional costs are incurred in having to reschedule lectures, particularly in the case of medical students, where there are expectations that the courses they're undertaking are, of course, fully received and that students need to act there. The disruption is also to fellow students in that regard as well. Ultimately, this is a choice for individual students, but we've made very clear there's nothing wrong with having a say but do it in your own time.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Steele-John, a final supplementary question?

Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Tehan went on to say that medical students should instead strike about getting more doctors into rural and regional Australia. Can the minister explain to the Senate the nature of the communications breakdown between Minister Tehan and Minister Hunt that has led the education minister to feeling that the only way he can influence his own government's policy is to call for a strike against his own cabinet colleague?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Steele-John is often quite literal in his contributions in the chamber and in his interpretation, and I'd invite him to consider the context of the phrase 'tongue-in-cheek'. I doubt very much that Mr Tehan is encouraging students to strike, but he is certainly highlighting to them the fact that there are many issues upon which medical students may wish to reflect. And one of them that he would encourage current medical students to reflect upon is that more of them ought to be thinking about going and working and servicing rural regions. That's why amongst our government's reforms to medical education has been the creation of rural training hubs that provide more opportunities for more rural students to study medicine in rural Australia in the hope and expectation that they will stay in rural Australia and deliver those critical healthcare services to the rural and regional Australians who need them.