Page 3112 - Week 08 - Thursday, 25 June 2009

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and detailed letter about what could and could not be done and that he, at no time, knew about it—that he at no time said to his chief of staff, “See if you can sort something out,” and that there was not reporting back.

What we saw that day was the minister caught out. He thought that he could get away with looking principled but when you put Andrew Barr under pressure all the principle goes out the window. The benign smile disappears and the ruthlessness of this man comes out. He stood back and he fairly and squarely put his chief of staff in the firing line and allowed her to take the bullet for him.

It is the measure of the man that he would do that. It is a warning to all Labor staff, quite frankly, that this is the way that you get treated. If you mess up you just stand there and you take the bullet. If anything comes of it by way of the minister, you get in the way. You take the fall and the minister will say, “I know nothing about it.” It was the most implausible performance that this minister made during the estimates process.

MR COE (Ginninderra) (11:53): I have been inspired by my fellow member for Ginninderra to speak about the benign smile and the ruthlessness. It is interesting that Mr Barr should continue to banter and should continue to have a go at us on the opposition bench. That is exactly what he did a few weeks ago. A few weeks ago Mr Barr was in here mocking school bullying by having a go at each member of the opposition one by one—very biased and pretending what we would be like in the schoolyard.

I think he had a go at Mr Dozpot’s Hungarian heritage. I think he had a go at Mr Seselja’s Croatian heritage. I cannot remember what he said about me—something about wearing a school blazer and sucking up to the teacher, I think he might have said. And I think he had a pretty cruel go at Mrs Dunne, from memory. But what I will do is use it as a bit of a segue to go into Mr Barr’s vendetta against non-government schools, because that is what it is. It is a slow-kill approach to non-government schools.

About 45 per cent of Canberra’s school aged population go to non-government schools. That is after eight years of Labor championing education. That is after eight years of Labor delivering on education. That is after eight years of having these committed ministers that are dedicated to restoring confidence in public schools. After eight years, 45 per cent are still in the non-government sector—45 per cent.

Mr Barr: It is not 45.

MR COE: You have got to ask: “What does this mean? Does this mean that the ALP are delivering on public education?” When you have 45 per cent of students—

Mr Barr: It is 41, Alistair.

Mr Doszpot: It is 43 per cent.

MR COE: Forty-three per cent.


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