❓ Ms Radisich questions the Minister for Education on his opinion of the Prime Minister's statement that the GST is beneficial for education. Mr Carpenter strongly disagrees, criticising the Prime Minister's understanding of the impact of GST on education and families.
AnsweredQoN 417Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EDUCATION, GOODS AND SERVICES TAX
Does the minister agree with the statements by the Prime Minister in the televised debate with the leader of the federal Opposition, Kim Beazley, that the goods and services tax is the greatest thing that anyone has done for education in this country in recent years? Mr CARPENTER
Does the minister agree with the statements by the Prime Minister in the televised debate with the leader of the federal Opposition, Kim Beazley, that the goods and services tax is the greatest thing that anyone has done for education in this country in recent years? Mr CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. The worm turned in a very dramatic fashion when the Prime Minister of Australia made what could be described only as a remarkable assertion that the best thing that had happened for education in Australia was the introduction of the GST. As a loyal ABC watcher, I was not attuned to the worm until it was brought to my attention later on. I, like the rest of the studio audience, could not disagree more with the Prime Minister. I doubt whether there is a single member of this Chamber who in all honesty thinks that the Prime Minister was right when he said those stupid words in the debate. If that is the best that the Prime Minister can offer education - so far he has not offered us a great deal else - it is quite clear, both from the context of the remark and the remark itself, that he is completely out of touch with what is going on in his country. At the moment he certainly does not understand, and he probably never did understand, the reality that faces ordinary Australian people as they go about their daily lives. I doubt very much whether even the former Minister for Education, who was an advocate of the GST, would think that there was much truth in the Prime Minister’s statement. I am quite certain that he would share my view that it was a ridiculous statement and completely unjustified. Wholesale sales tax savings were supposed to accrue to the Western Australian Department of Education. However, because of the abolition of that tax, a $6 million saving never came to pass. What happens? We must find extra money to make up for that gap. The GST is on virtually every purchase that parents make, such as their children’s books, transport costs, shoes, school bags, uniforms and sports equipment. For the Prime Minister of Australia to make such a statement shows that he either does not understand or does not care. I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
Mr CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question. The worm turned in a very dramatic fashion when the Prime Minister of Australia made what could be described only as a remarkable assertion that the best thing that had happened for education in Australia was the introduction of the GST. As a loyal ABC watcher, I was not attuned to the worm until it was brought to my attention later on. I, like the rest of the studio audience, could not disagree more with the Prime Minister. I doubt whether there is a single member of this Chamber who in all honesty thinks that the Prime Minister was right when he said those stupid words in the debate. If that is the best that the Prime Minister can offer education - so far he has not offered us a great deal else - it is quite clear, both from the context of the remark and the remark itself, that he is completely out of touch with what is going on in his country. At the moment he certainly does not understand, and he probably never did understand, the reality that faces ordinary Australian people as they go about their daily lives. I doubt very much whether even the former Minister for Education, who was an advocate of the GST, would think that there was much truth in the Prime Minister’s statement. I am quite certain that he would share my view that it was a ridiculous statement and completely unjustified. Wholesale sales tax savings were supposed to accrue to the Western Australian Department of Education. However, because of the abolition of that tax, a $6 million saving never came to pass. What happens? We must find extra money to make up for that gap. The GST is on virtually every purchase that parents make, such as their children’s books, transport costs, shoes, school bags, uniforms and sports equipment. For the Prime Minister of Australia to make such a statement shows that he either does not understand or does not care. I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
I thank the member for the question. The worm turned in a very dramatic fashion when the Prime Minister of Australia made what could be described only as a remarkable assertion that the best thing that had happened for education in Australia was the introduction of the GST. As a loyal ABC watcher, I was not attuned to the worm until it was brought to my attention later on. I, like the rest of the studio audience, could not disagree more with the Prime Minister. I doubt whether there is a single member of this Chamber who in all honesty thinks that the Prime Minister was right when he said those stupid words in the debate. If that is the best that the Prime Minister can offer education - so far he has not offered us a great deal else - it is quite clear, both from the context of the remark and the remark itself, that he is completely out of touch with what is going on in his country. At the moment he certainly does not understand, and he probably never did understand, the reality that faces ordinary Australian people as they go about their daily lives. I doubt very much whether even the former Minister for Education, who was an advocate of the GST, would think that there was much truth in the Prime Minister’s statement. I am quite certain that he would share my view that it was a ridiculous statement and completely unjustified. Wholesale sales tax savings were supposed to accrue to the Western Australian Department of Education. However, because of the abolition of that tax, a $6 million saving never came to pass. What happens? We must find extra money to make up for that gap. The GST is on virtually every purchase that parents make, such as their children’s books, transport costs, shoes, school bags, uniforms and sports equipment. For the Prime Minister of Australia to make such a statement shows that he either does not understand or does not care. I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
Wholesale sales tax savings were supposed to accrue to the Western Australian Department of Education. However, because of the abolition of that tax, a $6 million saving never came to pass. What happens? We must find extra money to make up for that gap. The GST is on virtually every purchase that parents make, such as their children’s books, transport costs, shoes, school bags, uniforms and sports equipment. For the Prime Minister of Australia to make such a statement shows that he either does not understand or does not care. I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
Mr CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question. The worm turned in a very dramatic fashion when the Prime Minister of Australia made what could be described only as a remarkable assertion that the best thing that had happened for education in Australia was the introduction of the GST. As a loyal ABC watcher, I was not attuned to the worm until it was brought to my attention later on. I, like the rest of the studio audience, could not disagree more with the Prime Minister. I doubt whether there is a single member of this Chamber who in all honesty thinks that the Prime Minister was right when he said those stupid words in the debate. If that is the best that the Prime Minister can offer education - so far he has not offered us a great deal else - it is quite clear, both from the context of the remark and the remark itself, that he is completely out of touch with what is going on in his country. At the moment he certainly does not understand, and he probably never did understand, the reality that faces ordinary Australian people as they go about their daily lives. I doubt very much whether even the former Minister for Education, who was an advocate of the GST, would think that there was much truth in the Prime Minister’s statement. I am quite certain that he would share my view that it was a ridiculous statement and completely unjustified. Wholesale sales tax savings were supposed to accrue to the Western Australian Department of Education. However, because of the abolition of that tax, a $6 million saving never came to pass. What happens? We must find extra money to make up for that gap. The GST is on virtually every purchase that parents make, such as their children’s books, transport costs, shoes, school bags, uniforms and sports equipment. For the Prime Minister of Australia to make such a statement shows that he either does not understand or does not care. I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
I thank the member for the question. The worm turned in a very dramatic fashion when the Prime Minister of Australia made what could be described only as a remarkable assertion that the best thing that had happened for education in Australia was the introduction of the GST. As a loyal ABC watcher, I was not attuned to the worm until it was brought to my attention later on. I, like the rest of the studio audience, could not disagree more with the Prime Minister. I doubt whether there is a single member of this Chamber who in all honesty thinks that the Prime Minister was right when he said those stupid words in the debate. If that is the best that the Prime Minister can offer education - so far he has not offered us a great deal else - it is quite clear, both from the context of the remark and the remark itself, that he is completely out of touch with what is going on in his country. At the moment he certainly does not understand, and he probably never did understand, the reality that faces ordinary Australian people as they go about their daily lives. I doubt very much whether even the former Minister for Education, who was an advocate of the GST, would think that there was much truth in the Prime Minister’s statement. I am quite certain that he would share my view that it was a ridiculous statement and completely unjustified. Wholesale sales tax savings were supposed to accrue to the Western Australian Department of Education. However, because of the abolition of that tax, a $6 million saving never came to pass. What happens? We must find extra money to make up for that gap. The GST is on virtually every purchase that parents make, such as their children’s books, transport costs, shoes, school bags, uniforms and sports equipment. For the Prime Minister of Australia to make such a statement shows that he either does not understand or does not care. I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
Wholesale sales tax savings were supposed to accrue to the Western Australian Department of Education. However, because of the abolition of that tax, a $6 million saving never came to pass. What happens? We must find extra money to make up for that gap. The GST is on virtually every purchase that parents make, such as their children’s books, transport costs, shoes, school bags, uniforms and sports equipment. For the Prime Minister of Australia to make such a statement shows that he either does not understand or does not care. I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
I reflect upon what the Business Council of Australia and Rupert Murdoch said about education. I wondered whether they had been reading my pre-election speeches because they made exactly the same point that I made; that is, education is in crying need of extra resources in Australia and in Western Australia. We are getting no assistance from this federal Government. The federal Government has no concept of the importance and the value of education. There was little of it in the previous State Government. The rhetoric did not match the reality. If Australian people want to do something about the future for their children, which is inextricably linked with the health of the education system in Australia, they will take the opportunity at the forthcoming federal election to choose between the Prime Minister, who thinks that the best thing he can do is tax people into the ground, drive the economy from a four per cent growth to less than two per cent and put people out of work, or the Labor Party alternative, who is promoting education as the most important thing that this nation must address.
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