Page 3494 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 18 August 2010
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I can say that there are emerging points of agreement, as our Prime Minister would say—perhaps it has become a more famous statement now—between the Labor Party and the Greens on education in particular and within education on the funding of non-government schools. I think that is why it is important in the context of this emerging agreement between the Labor Party and the Greens to respond this morning to the Liberals’ very unfair attack.
It is worth being clear about the background to this debate so that people who might be listening or the media would not take the risk of believing what the Liberals have had to say this morning. What are the facts?
Mr Doszpot: So you are endorsing the Greens’ policies, Andrew?
MR BARR: What are the facts?
Mr Doszpot: Are you endorsing the policy?
MR BARR: What are the facts? Yes, it is true that the Australian Greens party policy that was issued in March of this year—
Mr Doszpot: The lines are blurry. I mean, who is speaking for the Greens—
MR BARR: No, hang on.
Mr Doszpot: Who is speaking for the Liberals?
MR BARR: Just let me finish, Mr Doszpot. It is true, and this is where the Liberal Party are correct in their motion, that the Australian Greens policy on education still on the Greens website and issued in March of this year says, in part, that they will “support the maintenance of the total level of commonwealth funding for private schools at 2003-04 levels”.
Yes, it is true that the Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds did initially defend that policy. On 5 August the ABC reported, “The ACT Greens Senate candidate, Lin Hatfield Dodds, has defended her party’s policy to cut funding to non-government schools.” But it is now clear that the Greens party has listened to the community and they have learned.
Mr Seselja: It is still on their website. Why did Meredith not say this, then?
MR BARR: And you have to say that is the beauty of democracy, because on 6 August—
Ms Hunter: Mr Rattenbury is going to mention that point.
MR BARR: And we will come back to that in a moment—on 6 August—
Mr Doszpot: I have not heard such a disclaimer before from the Greens.
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