Labor's negative wrecking tactics in the Senate have blocked important education and innovation policies.
While Mr Beazley talks about the Knowledge Nation he has allowed Labor Senators to oppose the passage of the Innovation and Education Amendment Bill.
As a result:
? establishment funding has been denied to many new, low fee non-government schools;
? funding has been denied for students with disabilities in non-government schools; and
? important new measures to foster innovation have been blocked.
The Labor Party should be judged by their actions, not their empty rhetoric on education and innovation.
The legislation blocked by Labor in the Senate was to provide assistance to a wide cross section of new schools including Catholic systemic schools, Christian community schools and non-denominational schools, with many serving the most needy in our community.
The same legislation contains funding for students with disabilities in non-government schools.
Mr Beazley has also blocked new measures aimed at fostering innovation. These measures include the Post-Graduate Education Loans Scheme.
Virtually on the eve of the release of his long-awaited Knowledge Nation report, Mr Beazley has blocked an important scheme aimed at enhancing the skills of some of our best and brightest students.
Mr Beazley had an opportunity to demonstrate that he is serious about boosting education and innovation but he has again failed the test. It is another demonstration that the policy-lazy Labor Party has no solutions.
29 June 2001