THE HON MARK BUTLER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE

CHANGE AND WATER
MEMBER FOR PORT ADELAIDE
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
PARLIAMENT HOUSE
TUESDAY, 24 MARCH 2015

SUBJECT/S: Tony Abbotts students with disability broken promise; RET;

Industrial relations
MARK BUTLER, SHADOW MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: Its a pleasure
to be here this morning representing Kate Ellis the Shadow Spokesperson for
Education, here with the Education Union and also with Steph and Children With
Disabilities. Theyve been working so hard over the last several years to raise the
profile of this incredibly important issue. Its hard to imagine a more important
touchstone for a decent society than to make sure that every child has access to the
education that will allow them to fulfil their potential in the fullest possible sense.
And we know now that for too many years, students who need a little bit of extra
support because of a disability have not been getting that opportunity. Now, Tony
Abbott told us that he was on a unity ticket on a unity ticket at the last election
around the Gonski education reforms, and the education survey that the union has
published today illustrates the scale of the challenge to provide that extra support to
students with a disability, but also the scale of the disappointment and the anger
that people feel about these broken election promises. Christopher Pyne told the
Australian people that there would be no difference whatsoever in this area if they
elected a Labor Government or a Liberal Government. He promised that there would
be a disability loading in place for the school year of 2015, a promise which we know
has simply been broken. But to make matters worse, last years Budget also cut the
$100 million interim funding that Labor had put in place to give schools some extra
support while the details of the disability loading were being developed. Now that

$100 million cut led to the sorts of stories that the union survey talked about;
principals having to take resources from other areas of their school budget just to
hold things to together for their students with a disability. We know what those
resources are: specialists like OT and speechies and also professional development
for the teachers that are working so hard in the classroom to give everyone of their
students the fullest opportunity.
So, Christopher Pyne has said, many times over the last week, he is a fixer. There is
no more important problem on the Governments table than this one. They must fix
this in the Budget. Ive also heard Minister Pyne say that things are going well in this
area, that they are doing a great deal for schools in terms of supporting children
with a disability. Well, you cannot argue with the direct lived experience that weve
heard from Steph and Theresa, and most importantly from Danny and Ben so
articulately here today. That direct lived experience must go straight to the Prime
Ministers desk. He must fix this problem. There must be a solution published in the
2015 Budget for the 2016 school year.
JOURNALIST: Mr Butler, I raised this with the education union as well. The Liberal
Government would say that this is mostly a state issue because the state
governments run public schools in their jurisdictions. Whats your comment on how
much of this should be down to the states themselves?
BUTLER: Well theres obviously a share [audio cuts out]
Over the next decade thats about $30 billion in funds that will not go to the schools
system on the needs based funding formula that apparently was a bipartisan issue
before the election, but Tony Abbott walked away from after it.
Yes the states and the school systems need to do their bit. They need to contribute
to the achievement of the objectives set out in the Gonksi arrangements, but there
is no duck shoving that Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne can do here. The
Commonwealth has to come to the table, they have to reinstate the interim
arrangements for disability funding while the disability loading details are finalised
with state and territories, and they also need to look at funding years five and six of
the Gonski arrangements which were abolished in last years Budget.
JOURNALIST: On a another issue which is in another one of your portfolios
BUTLER: I might just see if there are any schools questions before we move to
that. No? Ok.
JOURNALIST: Just on the RET Caucus was encouraged to focus on the RET in
the community today. Do you see the Opposition looking to do a deal with the
Government thats somewhere in the low to mid 30,000s range or are you still
seeking to be in the 35-45,000 range?

BUTLER: Weve said consistently that we are willing to negotiate an arrangement

with the Government to restore investor confidence in this critical industry, because
investment collapsed by almost 90 per cent last year, while it increased by about 16
per cent around the world, because of Tony Abbots reckless attack on the
renewable energy industry. Weve said were willing to do an agreement. Not
because we dont think 41,000GWh was the right thing we think it was the right
target - but because the objective today must be to restore that investor
confidence, get things being built again and secure the jobs and clean energy future
that comes with renewable energy. So weve said, based on advice from the industry
itself and also from the banks and the equity investors who put the money on the
table, that the minimum possible target needed to underpin a viable industry in the
future was in the mid to high 30,000 range. That remains the advice that weve
received, it remains a position were more than willing to talk to the Government
about, but theyve said again this morning that theyre not going to budge from their
32,000GWh offer. An offer which they put to the industry yesterday and which has
received not one bit of acceptance from that industry.
JOURNALIST: Just on industrial relations, if you dont mind. Theres been a new
Caucus Committee established an industrial relations taskforce to report back on
issues of industrial relations and look at the issue of industrial relations broadly. Is
this an indication that the Labor Party might be willing to accept reductions in
penalty rates if workers are adequately compensated?
BUTLER: No, its not at all, we have very clear principles around our approach to
industrial relations, principles that have been in place for a very, very long period of
time. What is in question, I think, is whether this Government is going to launch an
attack on industrial relations conditions and the minimum wage and penalty rates in
particular, given the brief theyve given to the Productivity Commission. So, the
decision today by Caucus is a very standard one. This is a core issue for Labor, its a
core issue for working families out there to make sure that their wages, their penalty
rates are safe under a Commonwealth Government.
JOURNALIST: So, if youre not open to removing some penalty rates, who will this
committee consult with and what will they report back on?
BUTLER: Well Ill let that committee talk for themselves. It was only set up today
and Ill let them talk for themselves about the process theyre going to go through.
Thank you.

ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT: JO MEEHAN 0408 803 428