BRADBURY:
Good morning, I'm here with my Western Sydney colleagues and we are stepping forward to stand up for the interests of the people of Western Sydney. We saw last week the O'Farrell New South Wales Liberal Government announce cuts to education of $1.7 billion and we are beginning to see the impacts of those cuts. We saw last week the representatives of the education institutions, whether it be government schools, Catholic schools and independent schools, speaking out about the impact of these cuts. We heard from some of the Catholic schools that the implications of these cuts could mean job losses, increases in fees and in some cases, even closure of schools. We've all been back in our electorates on Friday and over the weekend and we've been gauging the opinion of local residents and those in our local school communities. There's been a very strong reaction to the announcement of these cuts. This is particularly important for Western Sydney because not only do we have lesser educational outcomes being achieved in our communities but people in Western Sydney rely very much upon TAFE and vocational education. This is a double whammy, not only hitting every student in every local school but it's also jacking up the price of fees in TAFEs and also the job losses that will follow.
This of course has been followed up with further announcements by the New South Wales Liberal Government that they intend to slash $3 billion worth of funding to health and then we see on the weekend that Mr O'Farrell and the New South Wales Liberals are now talking about jacking up the rate of the GST. This will be a further assault upon the living standards of people right around the state, but in particular in Western Sydney, and it's in that vein that we are coming together. Two of our colleagues, Michelle Rowland and Julie Owens, will be submitting a private members' motion that will be condemning the New South Wales Liberal Government and also calling upon the Opposition to ensure that their policies are not ripping money away from the people of Western Sydney.
I'd now like to hand over to Chris Bowen.
BOWEN:
Thanks very much David. I'm also very pleased to be here to support our Western Sydney colleagues in this very important campaign and to join with Michelle Rowland, the Member for Greenway and Julie Owens, the Member for Parramatta in supporting this private members' bill.
Why is this particularly important for Western Sydney? Well, education in Western Sydney is the pathway to a better life, whether it be primary school, high school, public, independent or Catholic education. All through Western Sydney we can see people taking the opportunities provided by education. That's why all of us, all throughout our professional lives supported bettering the funding for education. That's why we're particularly proud of the steps this Government has taken to implementing the Gonski Review to ensure better chances for the people we represent. So, fighting these education cuts in Western Sydney is particularly important. Also, last year, a number of Liberal Party State MPs were elected in Western Sydney. They have abjectly failed to stand up for their communities. They have abjectly failed to stand up for their schools and for their TAFEs. For the people who are trying to get a trade, so that they can look after their families, so that they can provide and get a better future for themselves and their families, having those opportunities cut off from them by these savage cuts to TAFE in particular, State Liberal MPs won't stand up for our communities, we certainly will and I'm very pleased to congratulate Michelle Rowland and Julie Owens for moving this motion in the Parliament. We will be prosecuting this case with great vigour across Western Sydney. Today's press conference marks the launch of the campaign by us to fight these cuts, to support the State Labor Opposition in New South Wales, John Robertson's team, in fighting these cuts and underlining the contrast in the Gillard Government's commitment to implementing the Gonski Review against these savage cuts by the O'Farrell Government in New South Wales. I'd like to hand over to Michelle and then I'm sure we'd be happy to take your questions.
ROWLAND:
As someone who was born and raised in Western Sydney, I know that nothing is more important to families in the area that I represent than the education of their children. I also particularly see this in my local area in people who come from migrant backgrounds. For those people, they've come to Australia so that their children can have the best education opportunities, so that their children can have a life better than they themselves had. Let's not kid ourselves: these cuts to education aren't cuts to some bureaucracy. They are cuts that will directly impact on schools - that's government, independent and Catholic schools alike - and on TAFEs. And as the Ministers pointed out, in my part of the world, getting a skill, being able to get an apprenticeship really is the pathway to a better life and that's why these cuts are so savage and are so wrong. They deny the investment in our young people and as someone who represents what I often call Australia's nursery where the largest average age group is 0-14, there's an obligation on every representative of Western Sydney that every level of government to stand up to these cuts and do something about it.
BOWEN:
Questions?
JOURNALIST:
Adrian Piccoli is in Canberra today, would you like a guarantee from Adrian Piccoli that no frontline services in health and education will be affected. They're saying it's only backroom staff that will go.
BOWEN:
Well I don't know how he can mount that argument. When you look at the size of these cuts, when you look at the New South Wales Government's own statements, this will affect teacher numbers [inaudible]. So they're welcome to provide that guarantee, that'd be great, but I bet he can't provide that guarantee and if he does, it's completely contrary to everything the New South Wales Government has said since this announcement last week.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]
BOWEN:
Well we'll let Minister Garrett comment on that but we are making the case for Western Sydney against these cuts. We want to see education funding increased. We want to see schools in our electorate that do a magnificent job in difficult circumstances, we want to see them get more funding, not less funding. In terms of the Gonski negotiations, Minister Garrett [inaudible], but we're standing up for Western Sydney today.
JOURNALIST:
You're having a go at them for making cuts but you're also having a go at them for wanting a sustainable funding base.
BOWEN:
It's not about a sustainable funding base, this is about their decision to cut funding to education. This is an excuse that's being invented by Premier O'Farrell, this was a deliberate decision by him to cut education. David might want to say a little bit more about that.
BRADBURY:
Let's be very clear about this. When Mr O'Farrell flagged this idea on the weekend of jacking up the GST, he didn't say he was going to apply the proceeds of that towards investing in more education. He was talking about propping up his bottom line, he was talking about perhaps trade-offs that involve relinquishing other taxation that states currently relied upon. Let's be clear about this. To increase the GST would drive up the cost of living for all Australians but we all feel very strongly about this because we know the sorts of cost-of-living pressures that people in Western Sydney and parts of the country that we represent are having. We will fight this tooth and nail, but importantly on the education cuts, the point to make here is that we are investing more money in education. We are building a sustainable education system for the future. The O'Farrell Government, true to form for the Liberals, they're ripping money away. We're standing up against that.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think there's an argument though to scrap inefficient taxes and raise the GST as a result of scrapping those taxes?
BRADBURY:
Look, we've been very clear on the GST that we will not support an increase to its rate or an expansion to its base. Crystal clear. In terms of the states' review of inefficient taxes, we support them doing that and there is a process that is in play at the moment. But let's also be clear about this. If the states think they are going to use this review process as a stalking horse for jacking up the GST then we will stand very strongly and firmly against that. But let's not forget. The only reason they're out there making this case is because Joe Hockey gave them the green light. When he was asked whether or not he would support an increase in the GST, he simply said, well that's a matter for the states to make the case out on. So Joe Hockey has given them the green light, you can only expect that they will take up that invitation, that's what they're doing and unfortunately that's the issue we're now confronting but we will stand solidly against it.
JOURNALIST:
You won't even look at the prospect of increasing GST for online purchases, what about the impact on retailers? Isn't that something you should at least look at, because you say to the states go and look at ways to get rid of your inefficient taxes but you knock them down when they offer up an idea.
BRADBURY:
That is a separate consideration and we are committed to a process investigating and examining the issues surrounding the low value parcel import threshold. That's something we're looking very closely at and we're working closely with stakeholders to see whether or not that issue can be resolved in an efficient way. But on the question of increasing the rate of the GST and broadening the base, we've made it very clear. We saw reports today that if you broadened the base of the GST that could mean an extra $20 a week for the family grocery bill. We know that there are people out there like Jamie Briggs and others within the Liberal Party that are advocating this. Mr O'Farrell's now giving voice and expression to their views but we're going to fight them on this.
JOURNALIST:
Speaking of the GST review, Minister, the interim review of that taskforce found that, or suggested that the Government should not claw back mining royalties through the GST. Campbell Newman and others have raised mining royalties, knowing that the Federal Government will reimburse those to big miners under the mining tax, so what are you going to do given that advice that you should not do it through the GST. What are you going to do to protect your budget from the likes of Campbell Newman and Barry O'Farrell raising mining royalties?
BRADBURY:
Look, a couple of points to make. The first one is that we've said very clearly that in terms of the Regional Infrastructure Fund that we've established, states that are out there jacking up their royalties, then they will have the funds that are available for distribution under that regional infrastructure fund affected. Not existing announcements, any projects already announced will proceed. But let me also make this point, that this whole debate around royalties, Campbell Newman has thrust this onto the agenda in a very cynical attempt to distract attention from the massive job cuts that he is delivering in Queensland. Now let's not be distracted by that. In terms of how we resolve these questions around royalties into the future, we've made our position clear on the regional infrastructure fund. We will deal with these matters down the track, but can I make the obvious point, that we have been hearing from Mr Abbott for the last two and a half years about how increasing the taxation of the minerals sector was going to cripple the economy, was going to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. And then we see his state Liberal Premier colleagues out there jacking up royalties, an inefficient mining tax, a mining tax that everybody agrees should not be the one that's in place, yet when they have an opportunity they're jacking it up. Let's not be distracted, but in the end we will work through these issues as the Treasurer has indicated.
JOURNALIST:
A question for the Immigration Minister. The riots at the weekend, or the riot on Saturday, what's your reaction to it and do you think that the Islamic community is being strong enough in its repudiation of it?
BOWEN:
Well of course we condemn that violence, I condemn it and I'm sure I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in condemning that violent activity. Clearly this is not done in the name of Islam and it is not done in the name of multiculturalism, it is done in the name of thuggery and nothing short of that. I do welcome the condemnation of this action by various Islamic groups across the country. They've made it very clear that this is not done in their name. This is just criminal behaviour, nothing short of that. Of course, we will support the New South Wales Police in their investigation of these activities and we'll await whatever action they wish to take in relation to my power I'll await that action, but this violence is to be condemned in the strongest possible terms and as I stress, this is not done in the name of Islam, it is not done in the name of multiculturalism, this is actually an anathema to both of those principles, this is simply an act of violent thuggery.
JOURNALIST:
When you're talking about your own powers, what are you looking at there?
BOWEN:
Well I simply make the point, in relation to, I'm sure the question will come, in relation to any action that might be taken in relation to any non-citizens. Now, we don't know yet who these people are, we'll await the New South Wales Government making [inaudible] publicly, after that, only after that process has taken its course.