Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Canning for his question. I am happy to tell him that, in fact, there is much to be proud of in the Western Australian school education system, and, if the voters of Western Australia on 5 April return enough coalition senators to make sure that the Senate is a workable Senate for the government, we will be able to continue to support the Western Australian government in the good work that they are doing for school students in improving their outcomes.

Contrary to the shadow minister's wrong assertions and her misinformation, the Western Australian state government have increased their spending on schools by 7.8 per cent this financial year. In fact, Western Australia has the highest level of funding per student in a government school of any state or territory in the country. In fact, Western Australia leads the country in school autonomy, with independent public schools giving more autonomy for principals, which we know improves the outcomes for students—so much so that Queensland and the Northern Territory are following their lead—and this is paying off, because they have the best results in the latest PISA data.

The best results in Australia are in Western Australia in science, maths and reading. In all three of the things that PISA tests, Western Australia is leading the nation. So they are themselves investing in their schools rather than demanding Canberra does so, they are introducing independent public schools, and we are helping them with a more robust curriculum and with an independent public schools policy to expand independent public schools, and by putting $120 million back into Western Australian schools that the Leader of the Opposition ripped out in the PEFO—the Pre-Election Fiscal Outlook—when he was the Minister for Education. In fact, Labor ripped $1.2 billion out of schools before the federal election, but—thanks to the Treasurer and the Prime Minister—we found the money to support Western Australian education. The shadow minister cannot even be bothered turning up to question time because—

Mr Shorten interjecting—

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