Transcript - Doorstop - 18 January 2010

SUBJECTS: Computers in Schools controversy; Gillard hypocrisy; Community Cabinet

(greetings omitted)

PYNE: Well as you've read this morning from the front page of The Australian, the Opposition has criticised the policy of South Australian schools asking parents for money to use the laptops that were supposedly given to them free of charge by the Federal Government to use after-hours. The Seaford 6-12 School and Willunga High School are asking their parents to either provide $365 for after-hours use on a yearly basis, or buy the laptops at so-called Digital Education Revolution prices which is a term we haven't heard used before. This flies in the face of the promised the Government made at the last election, that every student would be given a laptop for their use. It follows on from other bungles in this program. The program's already blown out by $1.2billion. The promise was made on the assumption that State Governments would come up with the money for all the supporting requirements on the laptop computer and the servicing, cabling and software, etc in the future. Obviously that wasn't going to happen. The Government have dig into the taxpayer's pockets and now schools in South Australia are asking parents to dig into their pockets for after-hours use. It's farcical to think that students would be given laptop computers and not be able to use them after school hours. And the Minister for Education should not be washing her hands, like Pontius Pilate, of this problem. She's the Minister. The buck stops with her. It's an election year and it's time the Minister started taking responsibility for the election promises the Government made before the last election before the makes a swathe of new promises for the next one.

Interviewer: But the premise was that every child was promised at school and students that don't decide to take them home will have access to the same computer every day in school.

PYNE: Of course, those students who are able to take their laptops home and use them after hours and on weekends are going to have a decided advantage over those students who are not going to do so. So what the schools and the Government are saying is that if you can afford this, paying for these laptop uses after-hours, your child will be better-positioned. So they're now creating two classes of students with laptop computers; Those who will be able to use them all the time, and those who will only be able to use them during school hours. Now I'm quite certain that wasn't what parents had in mind when parents voted Labor at the last Federal election, believing that their children would get a laptop computer for free.

Isn't this going to be the case whether or not there was a Computers in Schools program? I mean, there were going to be some parents who could afford to buy their children computers, others aren't?

PYNE: Well I'm not responsible for the Government's promises from before the last election. The Government, Mr Rudd and Mrs Gillard promised, before the last election that every year 9-12 student would receive a laptop and tutoring. That soon became two students, then became ""access"" to a laptop computer. It blew out to $1.2billion. They didn't realise when they made the promise that they'd be needing supporting services, software, cabling etcetera. Now we find that schools are slugging for the use of the laptops. Now someone has to hold the Government accountable for the promises they made. Julia Gillard can't simply wash her hands of these problems as she has washed her hands of the problems with the Building the Education Revolution for Primary Schools in the 21^st century. Julia Gillard wants to attach these grandiose titles to her programs, try and attract media public attention...she actually has to follow through and put the meat on the bone when it comes to tackling problems like this when they arise in South Australia.

Is there any indication that other schools are allowing students to take the computers home?

PYNE: Well my understanding is that in New South Wales, students can take home their laptop computers for free and use them so every child has the same advantage. This seems to be South Australian...a unique problem but it wouldn't surprise me if we find there are other states doing similar things.

Just on the subject of equity among students. The Australian Education Union has today released a report that...and they seem to be suggesting that Private schools are still receiving too much funding compared to State schools. Do you share their concerns?

PYNE: I don't share their concerns. The Australian Education Union, when we were in Government, when the Liberal Party was in Government, would regularly release these reports which have no credibility because they don't include funding from State Governments into Public schools. Therefore it's not worth the paper it's written on. Now when Julia Gillard was in Opposition, she would seize on these reports and attack the Howard Government on the basis that they had some credibility. I now note...in true hypocritical style, the Minister is saying these reports have no credibility because the reports don't include the State Government funds for Public schools. It's embarrassing for Julia Gillard that in two short years she's gone from leaping on these kinds of reports for political advantage to, in a merely-mouthed way, adopting comments we would adopt when in Government because the truth is the vast majority of funding for Public schools come from State Governments. This is an opportunity for Julia Gillard to state her position on the Socio-Economic Status Funding Model for the Independent or Non-Government Schools system. The Coalition is committed to the Socio-Economic Status Funding Model and we believe it can be approved but we agree to it in principle. In Opposition, Julia Gillard said she ""loathed"" the SES Funding Model and said that it would be changed. Now they're in Government they've got another review into the SES Funding Model and they're not intending to announce their policy until after the Federal Election. Today is an opportunity for Julia Gillard to tell then what she would do about the SES Funding Model. The AEU would be very interested in the response. My hunch is that she'll say there is a review and they won't be doing anything about it until after the next election. Because she hopes to slither through again without having to make a commitment one way or another. But we have her on the record opposing it and I think the parents of Australia will want to know exactly how funding will go in the future when they are in Government.

On the laptop issue, do you think parents who have paid for this laptop program should be reimbursed?

PYNE: Well that is probably a matter for Julia Gillard and Jane Lomax-Smith to resolve. Parents who have paid the so-called Digital Education Revolution prices for laptops, more than a $365 dollar charge, would be quite within their rights to ask for that money back. If Julia Gillard will actually do her job as Education Minister and ensure that parents have access to these laptop computers as their children do in the way the promise was made, which is free of charge. Charging parents for the use of laptop computers after hours is not a laptop computer per child for free. The Government's broken its promise. It's another one and as they're here on Wednesday as part of the Community Cabinet it will be a chance for them to tell parents in South Australia they won't be charged for a promise for free laptops.

Just on that point. They're coming very close to you. Do you suspect there's some political imperative for them having a Community Cabinet in your electorate?

PYNE: Well Community Cabinets are all about media opportunities and they are a cynical abuse of taxpayer's money. Anything between $3 and $5million dollars they've been costed at around Australia. They are a cynical use of taxpayer's money to raise the profile of Labor candidates in marginal seats. This Wednesday Kevin Rudd should actually put his money where his mouth is commit to a referendum on the Murray-Darling Basin. To give the power over the Murray-Darling Basin to the Commonwealth Government and to take it away from the States. Tony Abbott has made that commitment on behalf of the Coalition. Kevin Rudd, if he was serious about fixing the problems of the Murray-Darling Basin, would also commit to that referendum. I suspect the Community Cabinet will be another talkfest for the Labor Party. The people invited will enjoy the attention but this Government is all-talk and no action. It's high-time as the voters of Sturt, the electors of Sturt are sick of waiting for the Government to take action and to do something. Rather than always talking about doing something.

The fact that they're here though, they seem to think that your seat is some low-hanging fruit for the next election.

PYNE: Well, I would never describe a campaign involving me as ""low-hanging fruit"" but we are the most marginal seat in South Australia, in Sturt. I am driven to win. I am very determined to win and anybody who thinks that by holding a Community Cabinet in my electorate, they will somehow change the minds of voters in Sturt, then they are underestimating voters in the Eastern and North-Eastern suburbs.

Just on the laptops situation, are you aware that the Willunga has denied it? They're saying they weren't Government funding and (inaudible).

PYNE: Okay, well we have letters from Willunga here and from Seaford 6-12 and you can examine those for yourself. If that's the case for Willunga then that's an explanation if that's the case and I'll be interested to hear the detail of what they're saying. The letters from Seaford 6-12 are beyond doubt a part of the Digital Education Revolution.

(ends)