ABC NewsRadio

SUBJECTS: Education; Polling; Leadership E&OE............................... Marius Benson: Christopher Pyne, on education funding you’ve said in the past that unless there is a national agreement, you’ll repeal the Labor plan. At the moment the agreement covers 63 per cent of students - that’s nearly two thirds. Is that a solid enough threshold for you to retain the Labor scheme or not? Christopher Pyne: Well Marius, that is a new definition of a national scheme, which Labor has been pushing around the idea that the percentage of students covered indicates whether it is a ubiquitous scheme or not. The truth is – a national scheme requires a majority, an overwhelming majority of the states and territories to agree to it. The Government hasn’t got that yet – if it gets it, the Coalition will keep it, if it doesn’t we will roll over the current system for 12 months while we sort out the disarray and the mess that Labor has created. Benson: But is 63 per cent of students not a majority? Pyne: No it’s not a majority of states and territories, Marius. It’s a new definition of what a majority of states and territories is. Benson: Labor’s plan means more money for all schools, public schools, independent schools. Three billion dollars more for example Catholic schools over six years. Will you be going to the election saying, vote for us; we will take money away from schools? Pyne: Well Labor’s proposal is actually a cut to schools over the forward estimates and there’re the only things you can rely on in the budget. And in the next four years, there is a 325 million dollar cut to schools across Australia. The Labor party is expecting people to believe that in the 5th and 6th year, rivers of gold will flow to schools. Benson: Kevin Rudd is having quite a honeymoon, how long will it last? Pyne: Well who knows? I mean, politics is a funny business and of course there was always going to be a honeymoon period. But the fundamentals for the Australian economy and the Australian people remain the same. The boats continue to balloon out of control. I noticed today a report showing the cost of detaining the thousands and thousands of asylum seekers has blown out by a billion dollars just this financial year already to two and a half billion dollars. People are still concerned about cost of living increases and how to pay their electricity bills. They’re still anxious about their jobs. They still don’t believe there is decent economic management in this country. Those fundamentals mean that if you want to change Australia for the better you will need to vote for the Coalition. But we will see on Election Day whether the people agree with that. Benson: There is a column in the Australian newspaper today arguing that Abbott vs. Rudd - you lose now. If you return to Malcolm Turnbull as leader you win. Do you agree that Malcolm – you laugh? Pyne: Well I laugh because people would; I’m sure be trying to stir up trouble in the Coalition if they could. But there is no concern about the Coalition’s stability. We’re the ones that have had exactly the same team for the last four years. Labor are the ones that have had three leadership challenges in three years and hacked two Prime Ministers from their jobs, twice in the last three years and eight Cabinet Ministers who resigned less than a fortnight ago who refuse to serve under Kevin Rudd and we have the C-team in the Ministry. Labor is a shambles – the Coalition is a stable option for the public to consider which we have been in a state of pacific support for one another for the last four years. Benson: No Turnbull return? Pyne: I’m not been going to get into the speculation because it is an embarrassingly foolish column, who’s ever written that column. The truth is there will be no changes in the Coalition. We are the party of stability and security. We offer a genuine plan and a real alternative. Labor is the party of a shambolic disarray and chaos, which we have seen on display, even in the last fortnight where Kevin Rudd pulled a Prime Minister down after three years of negative campaigning against that Prime Minister and she pulled him down. The problem for Labor is they can’t run on their first term record because they got rid of Kevin Rudd and they can’t run on their second term record because they got rid of Julia Gillard so of course Kevin Rudd will try and talk about every other distraction. Benson: Christopher Pyne, thank you very much. Pyne: Pleasure, Marius. ENDS