Doorstop - Parliament House

SUBJECTS: School chaplaincy programme

E&OE……

Christopher Pyne: Just some brief comments on the school chaplaincy issue. As the Shadow Minister for Education I want to place on record the Coalition stands ready to assist the Government in whatever way to ensure the chaplaincy programme remains in existence. The Howard Government founded the chaplaincy programme. It’s very much in the marrow of our bones. We funded it. We expanded it and the Government when it came to power wanted to get rid of it and water it down as they have. Julia Gillard wanted to place it under review and hoped it would go away. It must be said that the Government did keep it and continued to fund it. The High Court decision places it very much in doubt and the Coalition will do whatever is required to ensure that the chaplaincy programme doesn’t become extinct. If the Government doesn’t do what is necessary or we think it is using this opportunity to get rid of it we’ll use our own Private Members Bills to ensure that the proper legislative framework is in place that the High Court expects for Commonwealth Government spending.

Journalist: (inaudible)

Pyne: Well, we’ll look at that on a case by case basis….

Journalist: (inaudible)

Pyne: Well, not necessarily. There are some quite wild claims being thrown about. For example some people are saying that funding for non-government schools has been ruled out by the High Court. Of course that’s not true. There is legislative basis for the funding of non-government schools and a constitutional one. So I’m not sure – George Brandis, the Shadow Attorney General indicated on television last night it wasn’t the case that there needs to be a referendum for example, but all options will be considered by the Government. We certainly won’t act in a way that would put at risk a good government programme. Obviously there needs to be a proper constitutional basis for Commonwealth government actions and that is a matter that is really beyond politics.

With the school chaplaincy programme we won’t allow the Labor Party to use it as an opportunity to take the chaplaincy programme out the back and strangle it. We want to make sure that it remains a chaplaincy programme and we’ll take whatever action is necessary to ensure it’s done.

Journalist: (inaudible)

Pyne: Well, there are some pieces of legislation which give the necessary constitutional basis for the Government programme. There are apparently others where they are in the same place and situation as the school chaplaincy programme. I’m not the Shadow Attorney General so I haven’t sat down and run a list over all over those, but as they come to light I’m sure the Government will seek support from the Coalition to ensure good programmes remain.

Journalist: (inaudible)

Pyne: I think that’s probably a good question to ask the Attorney General or the Shadow Attorney General.

Journalist: (inaudible)

Pyne: George Brandis mentioned local government grants for example last night. Of course any of these programmes require an advocate to take them to the High Court in order to have them ruled out. I can’t see anybody wanting to rule out grants to local councils or roads to recovery programme, which are two examples that have been given, but this is not an issue of politics, but by the same token we don’t want to allow the Government to get rid of particularly good programmes like the school chaplaincy programme, which they don’t have a particular connection to. In fact they’ve watered it down in the time they’ve been in government and when Julia Gillard was the Minister for Education it was quite clear until Kevin Rudd intervened and insisted as Prime Minister that the school chaplaincy programme remain in existence she was moving to abolish the school chaplaincy programme and Kevin Rudd saved it.

Journalist: (inaudible)

Pyne: What I’m saying is the Opposition isn’t planning on using the High Court ruling to try and rub out Government programmes.

ENDS