Prime Minister, Minister for Education
Melbourne
Subject(s): Better Schools Plan; Asylum seekers; Foreign aid; Birth of the Royal Prince
PM: Well it’s great to be here this afternoon with Bill Shorten, the Education Minister, here at Aquinas College here in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I’m also here with the local member Michael Symon.
I’m also here with a neighbouring member, Laura Smyth. I’m also here with Rupert Evans, our candidate for Aston. And then I’ve got Kelvin Thompson, the Parliamentary Secretary for Education.
The thing about Australians is they want us, as national leaders, to have a positive plan for the future. They don’t want wall-to-wall negativity.
They want leaders who actually bring the country together on the things that matter for our future.
They want that to happen because they want to see us put in the building blocks for a strong Australian economy for the future as well.
The truth is we’ve got big economic challenges ahead of us.
Partly because of the end of the China resources boom, partly because of sluggish recovery in the global economy. And therefore, there’s a big transition ahead of us.
Because of all that, we’ve got to be realistic about the fact that our future not assured.
We need to be smart about our response to the new economic challenges and ensure that we diversify our economy in the future.
That is make sure we are growing new jobs and new businesses in the new industries of the future, not just putting all of our eggs in one basket, which is the energy and resources sector.
So that, basically, is what the government’s strategy is. And to do that we have to be as competitive as possible as an economy in the world.
We need therefore to invest in the future, invest in jobs, invest in infrastructure, invest in skills. And that brings us to the Better Schools Plan, which Bill Shorten has been working on, together with his Parliamentary Secretary Kelvin Thompson, for quite a while now to bring this to some successful conclusions.
And today, because of the work that’s been done, we now have almost two thirds of the kids in Australia benefitting under the Better Schools Plan, which will deliver extra funding and extra resources to government schools, Catholic schools and independent schools in most of the states of Australia.
But we’ve still got some who we’ve got to get across the line.
Today in particular and the reason we’re at Aquinas is that Minister Shorten has concluded successfully this negotiation with the Catholic education system.
And I’d draw your attention to their statement today.
The National Catholic Education Commission, the NCEC, and the Australian Government have agreed to sign up to the Better Schools Plan.
This is a significant milestone in itself and follows on the decision in recent weeks by the Independent Schools Council of Australia giving the Better Schools Plan their tick of approval for the future as well.
The Catholic school system across Australia represents about three quarters of a million kids across 1,700 schools – this is a big slice of Australia’s education. One fifth of the kids in school are at Australian Catholic schools. And that’s why this agreement with the Catholic school system has been so important to roll out the Better Schools Plan across the nation.
This therefore will result in a significant funding boost for our Catholic schools.
Under the agreement reached today, Catholic systemic schools will benefit from $1.6 billion in extra funding over the next six years if all governments sign up to the better schools plan.
We’ve also delivered classroom benefits: individual attention for every student, so that if your kid at school is falling behind a bit, they get the extra support in the classroom they need to catch up.
If your kid needs a bit of extra help to excel even further at what they are doing, then that extra help can be there as well.
That is why we are providing this extra support.
Here at Aquinas College, a large Catholic college here in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, we are looking at a $6 million plus addition to the allocation to this school over the next six years. That is a large addition shot in the arm compared with what the school budget is provided for now.
And that is to provide the extra resources to do that individual attention that we spoke of just before.
It will also enable other reforms to take place in the schools, including what we do to lift standards of all of our schools across the country and also provide more resources to our first class principals and headmasters and headmistresses across the country as well.
So to Bill Shorten, the Education Minister, I congratulate him on his success in concluding this negotiation.
To the Catholic school system of Australia, thank you for coming on board with this.
We think it’s a great investment for the future of the nation and great investment for the future of the Catholic school system as well because our objective is clear.
We want our kids to be the best educated, best skilled, best trained workforce anywhere in the world. And to do that we’ve got to make sure that every school gets the resources it needs.
Minister Shorten: It’s great to be here at Aquinas College in Ringwood and I thank Principal Tony O’Byrne for organising such a warm welcome from the students.
Like most Australians, I’ve never worked in a school but like every Australian we’re all partly a product of our school years. This federal Labor government is committed to making sure that every school – government or non-government, independent or Catholic – receives the support so that their child can get the best start in life.
This Labor government has got unreservedly good news for parents of children, parents who choose to send their children to Catholic systemic schools.
Today, the National Catholic Education Commission, on behalf of all its state and territory Catholic education commissions, has welcomed the commitment to make sure that there are billions of dollars extra heading towards the parents and children of Catholic schools.
This news means specifically for parents of children who attend Catholic schools that they will see extra resources flowing to their classrooms, so every individual child who either is perhaps doing well, they can be pushed to go further, or perhaps is not doing so well, can receive the support they need.
It means parents of children with disabilities will see extra support going to their children so they can choose between the government and the non-government sector.
It means if you come from a non-English speaking background, with low levels of English at home, you can get extra resources.
This is good news for a successful school like Aquinas College in Ringwood.
What it also means is that of the three-and-a-half million children in Australia going to school, about two-and-a-half million are now in educational jurisdictions who support and signed up to the principles and the funding base needs model of the Better Schools program.
What it also means is that children in state governments who have not signed up, are not getting in their schools the same resources which are available in New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, children who go independent schools, and children who go to Catholic schools.
We now believe it is time that all educational jurisdiction take advantage of the federal government’s commitment to education funding to make sure that all children get an equal and good start in life and they are set up for their adult years.
PM: The bottom line is this, we're off to see Premier Napthine this afternoon and our call is pretty basic: come on board Premier, this is a great plan for Australia.
If the Liberal Government in New South Wales can sign on and see the benefits for them, then I think there's something in this for Victoria.
If I'm right, Bill, I think the additional investment which would go to the Victorian Government system would be in the order of $4 billion.
Now, I'm not sure that any mum and dad or person in charge of a local parent community in a school in the state system in Victoria would want to say goodbye to that.
Because we want to lift all boats, we want to lift all schools, Government, independent, Catholic. That's what we're about.
So whether it's Premier Napthine here in Victoria, Premier Newman up in my home state of Queensland or Premier Barnett in the West, basically we want people to come on board with this because it's good for our kids.
When we are all long gone from the political stage, in decades to come, the fact that we were now putting in genuine needs based funding into our schools to provide those extra resources, to empower our principals with more resources to distribute as they need within schools, we'll look back and say, "This was the sort of reform we should have actually had in place a lot earlier”.
Journalist: There's now extra implementation money for both Catholic schools and independent schools, does that raise a fairly strong argument for the states to get additional money for implementation?
Minister Shorten: With the Catholic schools, we're asking them to implement our national reforms and our priorities.
We've accepted the proposition that they're not as large as state governments and they certainly don't have all the administrative systems of state governments, so we're accepted the proposition, and have all along, that we should assist them in terms of the reporting and the data collection for our national standards.
We want Australian children to be finishing in the top five nations by 2025.
We also understand that if we're asking, we respect the autonomy of non-government systems.
Catholics have been educating people in Australia since the first fleet. We respect the autonomy of the Catholic education system, we respect the choices that parents make if they choose to send their children to a Catholic system, but we also want a line of sight for Commonwealth taxpayer dollars to make sure that we're accomplishing greater and better educational outcomes for every child in Australia.
That's why we're assists them in terms of the implementation fund to make sure we can get the best national outcomes and the best reporting for national outcomes, which I think Commonwealth taxpayers deserve.
Journalist: How close are you to striking a deal with the Victorian Government?
Minister Shorten: The seriousness with which we take it is the Prime Minister will be meeting with Premier Napthine this afternoon.
The talks have been constructive in the last couple of weeks. The data is flowing, obviously when you get two parties together or two groups in negotiation together, you’ve got to make sure you're working off the same set of facts.
The Commonwealth Government's proposition is a good proposition. We want to ensure that of course the Victorian Government, with the issues that they've got, that we can talk it through with them.
But one thing is for sure, we don't want Victorian children in the government system to miss out on what children in the non-government system are getting and children in other states are getting.
And I believe so long as the Victorian Government and the national government focus on the children, they're the future, then I think we can come to a mutually agreeable outcome in the best interests of Victorian school children.
Journalist: Are you likely to strike this deal this weekend or in the next few days then?
Minister Shorten: It takes two to tango and we are most keen, we come with our proverbial sleeves rolled up, with a spirit of good will and it's always in the detail isn't it?
PM: No, but it's in Victoria's interest to do this. The Commonwealth is coming to the table with a large new investment.
All of us in this country are under budgetary pressure, everyone knows that.
But this is one set of budgetary pressures which we can't actually turn our back on, which is the needs of our kids for the future.
Investing in our kids' future, frankly, is great for the nation and great for the unlocked potential of every child who is at this Aquinas College and colleges like it right across Australia.
Journalist: With a deadline approaching though, will a deal be reached by the deadline?
PM: Bill's analogy was one of Latin American dancing. And even my limited skills at the tango would suggest that indeed you do need two to tango.
We're down here not just to take in the scenery and the fine weather that Victoria offers today. Can you clean up the weather a bit?
Minister Shorten: That’s after this one.
PM: I'm here for a purpose. And it's a matter for the Premier as to whether he wants to join us in that, I think, important national purpose, which would benefit every single kid at every single school here in the great State of Victoria.
Journalist: Can I ask you a couple of questions that Tony Abbott has raised about the Papua New Guinea resettlement claim?
PM: Can't ask those questions at all.
Journalist: The first is whether or not, with the increased autonomy that PNG now has over how Australian foreign aid is spent there, whether that increases the risk that money could be poorly spent or wasted or even perhaps misspent?
PM: I have two clear messages for Mr Abbott today on this question.
Number one, when we announced the Regional Resettlement Arrangement, he came out and welcomed it, then he said it wouldn't work, then he said it was unravelling, then Mr Turnbull said it would work.
What I've concluded from all of this and Mr Abbott's case is this: Mr Abbott is doing everything here he can possibly to send a mixed message to people smugglers around the world.
And by sending that mixed message to people smugglers around the world, it seems to me that the result would be to try and muddy the waters and therefore maybe it's in his political interest, not to see this agreement work.
It's in the national interest that this new Regional Resettlement Arrangement works. That's why we're doing it.
Australians want their national political leaders to cooperate on matters like this, which are deeply in the national interest.
We've put forward a proposal, it's now been reflected in a bilateral arrangement signed between ourselves and a sovereign government, it's there in black and white for everyone to see.
And we see Mr Abbott, it seems, by his daily statements sending out a very, very mixed message to people smugglers as to whether this arrangement could stick or work. That is not in the national interest.
It might be in his personal political interests but it’s certainly not in the national interests.
I would appeal to him to actually support our nation's long-term interests, irrespective of who is PM of this country after the next election.
Second point that you've raised, now, I say this so Mr Abbott as well.
Mr Abbott today has simply not told the truth, just not told the truth.
He said and I quote him “that this is a free gift as a simple cash grant with no accountability”. That is untrue, that is 100 per cent, rock solid untrue.
And Mr Abbott needs to be called to account for it. And the reason it's untrue is because every single investment we make with our development partners in the world is subject to the most detailed agreements about where investments are made and how they are accounted for.
Previously as Foreign Minister of Australia, I oversaw an independent review of Australia's aid effectiveness. We had the lowest fraud rate of any aid program almost in the world because we take this seriously.
Project by project, country by country and often in the most difficult places in the world.
This is absolutely untrue and Mr Abbott needs to be held to account for his failure to tell the truth on this.
Journalist: Haven't you weakened the oversight of that half a billion dollars?
PM: Mr Abbott has done nothing other than speak untruths on this. The truth is this: Papua New Guinea has been our development partner for decades and decades and decades.
Secondly, I draw your attention to the fact that what we have done with all of our partner governments around the world is align the priorities of the Australian development program with the stated national priorities of each partner government, whether it's Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, countries in South Asia, whether it’s countries elsewhere in the South Pacific or in Africa.
That makes sense because you're all pushing in the same direction.
His assertion is radically difference to that. Mr Abbott has said that this is a free gift as a simple cash grant. That is 100 per cent untrue and he needs to be held account for it.
One final point on that, I'd draw your attention to a documentary which was only puts out a couple of years ago, which is about the attitude of the previous Liberal government and it involved an interview with Mr Reith who did a lot of work with Mr Howard way back when on these questions.
In that there is an exchange involving Mr Reith where it was Mr Reith says: "I said to John, Mr Howard, before he left, well I think we should give them basically whatever they want. I mean, even though people will say, ‘Oh well you were sort of buying favours from them’. I mean here's a group of people a bit down on their luck, my attitude was why don't we what we can do with them. And if they help us, that's good."
Then it's said by Mike Scrafton, the adviser to the Defence Minister says to the program, "yeah I was standing next to him. He rang up and said $20 million? Okay. That was it, $20 million of taxpayers' money.”
That is what the Howard Government did. That is what I call, to use Mr Abbott's term, effectively a handover of cash.
That's not what we do. That's not how we conduct our development policy. I would draw people's attention to these documentary statements by members of Mr Howard's Government in stark and total contrast to this Government's probity based approach to the delivery of international development assistance.
Journalist: Are there any plans afoot to reach a resettlement deal with the Solomon Islands?
PM: We have said repeatedly that the Australian Government's Regional Resettlement Arrangement is open for discussion with any other government wishing to participate.
As far as the Sols are concerned, I think they have their own priorities at the moment.
RAMSI has just coming to a close, it’s been a successful process.
But this is a matter for sovereign governments, what’s our concern as far as Australian is concerned? Overwhelmingly our preference is to deal with Governments who are ratification states of the UN Refugees Convention.
Journalist: arrivals since this agreement was struck would be transferred?
PM: Minister Burke answered that on the first day.
PM: Is there a factional realignment under way in Victoria at the moment and will that cut you and your people out?
Minister Shorten: I think you probably referring to the preselections that are being held.
I don't comment about the internal workings of the Labor party but I can report that the preselections for Hotham and Lalor will be concluded tonight and we will have good candidates, campaigning for the re-election of the Rudd Labor Government tomorrow.
And those candidates know, just as every member of parliament or candidate here knows, the politics is about choices, you choose to prioritise expenditure on education or you don't.
The Opposition now need to move from negativity to positive. They need to explain to the Catholic education commission, and every school principal and every school council and every parent, what will they do if they were elected to power and will they dismantle the new money, which we are allocating to schools.
And importantly about today's announcement there is now certainty for 1700 schools to start planning their budgets for next year.
It is now time for the Opposition to make the same choice that the federal Labor government has made.
The journey of improving better schools started under Prime Minister Gillard, it has been concluded under Prime Minister Rudd.
The Opposition now have a choice after three years of negativity on education, do they think it is important to provide extra funding to Catholic schools for every school child in a Catholic school over the next six years? And that's the sort of choice which I know every Labor candidate and Labor member of parliament, including those who from are preselected tonight, we've made that choice.
It's now time for the Liberal Party, the Coalition to decide, are they negative on education, will they play politics with the school children's future or will they decide that the education of our children and better schools should be a matter of above politics?
REPORTER: You mentioned the royal baby before, have you got at gift prepared for the Prince?
PM: A gift for the little prince, the royal bub? Ahh well Therese and I and Jessica have been talking a bit about this, as well as with various colleagues in the government and so - any of you got kids here? Okay. Have you read the little book Ten little fingers, ten little toes by Mem Fox? Anyone read that one to their kids? Put your hand up please. Okay. Well we have. It’s a great little book. And so we’ll be providing a copy of that wonderful Australian children’s book to the mum and dad to read to the bub.
On top of that, we've also been thinking about what works a bit more over time.
Now, the Prince, well his family, have had a strong commitment to conservation and the environment. I have spoken to Prince Charles much about this over the years, and I know the Duke of Edinburgh, who I’ve met a number of times in the past, has a similar passion.
So we've been thinking about how you bring all these things together. And so one great Australian marsupial which is in a bit of strife at present is the bilby. There's a research project underway, I'm advised, at Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney to save and preserve the bilby. What we've decided to do as a Government is to provide a $10,000 grant to the research program at Taronga Park Zoo for the bilby and this will be in honour of the new baby Prince.
Furthermore, we'll name the enclosure for the bilby after the Prince, subject to the agreement of the Taronga Park Zoo authority and I'm sure Barry O'Farrell the Premier might come along with that.
Thirdly, I don't know if the Royal Family would need this but we'll probably give them a free pass to Taronga Park Zoo as well but that's just in addition.
But in terms of cute and cuddly toys, it will be a cute and cuddly bilby that we'll be sending off to London soon with a copy of Mem Fox’s book.
And we'll think a little bit further about if other gifts are appropriate for the nation at large.