Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (3:13 PM) -I rise today to take note of the answer from Senator Wong pertaining to the decision by the Rudd government to close the Australian National Academy of Music. I want to say at the start that this is a shameful decision. It is an unjustified decision. Ever since the minister made it, he has been hiding in his office and failing to justify to anybody why he made the decision.

Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (11:37 AM) -I wish to indicate I will not be supporting the amendment. I think it is fairly clear now that the coalition has said that it is supporting the bill with the national curriculum in it, and so it should be. The Greens have made it very clear from the start that this is an integral part of this legislation as far as we are concerned. A national curriculum is a national curriculum.

A national uniform curriculum will fail to deliver more uniform educational outcomes unless it is backed up with equal and adequate funding, the Australian Greens said today.

"Kevin Rudd's Education Revolution needs to be about much more than a stoush over private school funding and a national curriculum," said Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Education Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne.

"The Greens support the development and implementation of a national curriculum, and support its inclusion as a condition of funding for non-government schools.

Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (12.46 pm)-I rise today to speak on the Schools Assistance Bill 2008. In that context I would like to make a few remarks to begin with about the education revolution. I think that an education revolution ought to have a vision. It ought to have some excitement. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘I don't want to be part of your revolution unless I can dance.'

The Government is in damage control over the ill-advised decision to close the Australian National Academy of Music, and the Prime Minister must immediately step in to impose at least a 12 month moratorium on the decision, the Australian Greens said today.

In answering a question from Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Arts Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, Senator Wong once again denigrated the Academy by telling the students and staff present in the gallery that the world-class institution needed to be "revitalised".

Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (10:03 PM) -I rise to say that, in discussing the support of the crossbenchers, I wish to make it very clear that the Greens did not support the taking out of the national curriculum from this legislation, and we do not support that. I do not like the idea of a blank cheque for four years under a flawed funding model. I made that very clear in my speech, and that is still my position. It is now obvious that this will go to the House of Representatives and then the real negotiation will begin.

Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (12:46 PM) -I rise today to speak on the Schools Assistance Bill 2008. In that context I would like to make a few remarks to begin with about the education revolution. I think that an education revolution ought to have a vision. It ought to have some excitement. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘I don't want to be part of your revolution unless I can dance.' Frankly, I do not feel like dancing as part of the Rudd government's education revolution. A revolution suggests kicking over the traces and rethinking the way we do education.

The Australian Greens have moved to make education funding in Australia fairer by amending the Schools Assistance Bill 2008.

Greens Deputy Leader and Education spokesperson Senator Christine Milne said the Greens amendments would ensure the Rudd government replaced the flawed Howard government model with a fairer system in two years.

"It is disappointing the Rudd government is continuing with the Howard government's flawed SES funding model," Senator Milne said.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Australian National Academy of Music
Question

Senators Milne and Ronaldson to move on the next day of sitting: