Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Ministers statements: education funding

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:41): I spoke yesterday about our work over summer to secure the biggest investment from the federal government in public education – $2.5 billion. We spent our summer counting numbers and dollars for children and their parents. We know others, and here he is, were counting numbers for themselves, don’t we? Come in, spinner. I think you call that ‘at fault’.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Premier will resume his seat. Member for Brighton, this is your last warning.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, Speaker Brooks ruled that ministers, during ministers statements, should countenance policy decisions and not attack the opposition.

The SPEAKER: I would ask the Deputy Premier to come back – sorry, the Leader of the House has a point of order.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, there is no point of order. The Deputy Premier was being entirely factual in comparing and contrasting the way in which the Allan Labor government ministers focused their attention over summer with what those on the other side were doing.

The SPEAKER: Order! I would ask the Deputy Premier to be mindful of not attacking the opposition and to come back to his ministers statement.

Ben CARROLL: Yes. Thank you, Speaker. Over summer we also reached $100 million back in the pockets of hardworking families through the Allan Labor government’s school saving bonus. $30 million has been claimed for textbooks. $28 million has been claimed for camps, schools and excursions. $45 million has been claimed for school uniforms. In the member for Berwick’s electorate, more than $2.2 million has been claimed. In the member for Kew’s electorate, $1.5 million, and in the hardworking seat of Werribee, $2.3 million has been claimed.

But, Speaker, as you said yesterday, it is important to compare and contrast, and who could forget what happened on 17 January? The Herald Sun, ‘Liberal MP tips cuts to services’, and I quote –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Deputy Premier, resume your seat. Order!

Bridget Vallence: On a different point of order, Speaker, a member is not allowed to make an imputation by referring to a document containing that imputation – Speaker Coghill in Rulings from the Chair.

Dylan Wight interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Tarneit can leave the chamber for half an hour. You are going to keep that record.

Member for Tarneit withdrew from chamber.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, it is clearly not a point of order here. It is not an imputation to report what indeed a member has said themselves, which is exactly what the Deputy Premier was doing in order to contrast, once again, the focus of those on the other side with that of the Allan Labor government, which is meeting the needs of all Victorians no matter where they live.

The SPEAKER: I would ask you to please be succinct in your points of order, Leader of the House. I remind the Deputy Premier that it is not appropriate to attack the opposition and ask that he come back to his ministers statement.

Ben CARROLL: I will not attack the opposition, I will only quote them. In a wideranging interview on a libertarian podcast Mr Joe McCracken discussed the inner workings of the Liberal Party coup, and he also said they are likely to include cuts to services.

I will quote Mr McCracken word for word:

… how much do you cut, what do you cut, what services can you live without …

That is the difference. On our side, we in the Labor Party – it is what we do. What the Liberal Party do is undo what the Labor government does. We are always on the side of working people; they are always on the side of themselves. They have proved it over summer. The three blokes are here. All they are for is themselves. They will not even give up a seat –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker – I think the minister is a little disappointed that he did not have any points of order referred to him yesterday – personal reflections are disorderly.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order, and I would ask the Deputy Premier not to reflect on members in the chamber.

Ben CARROLL: I will just leave it to Mr McCracken: ‘How much do you cut?’

The SPEAKER: The member for Brighton can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Brighton withdrew from chamber.