House of Assembly Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1) 53 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Universal Access Program Universal Access Program Mr PISONI House of Assembly Unley Universal Access Program Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:34): A supplementary question. Can the minister rule out that any of the $190 million in unspecified cuts that were announced in May and confirmed in the November Budget and Finance Committee hearing last year will not be in the areas of early childhood development? The Hon. J.M. RANKINE House of Assembly Wright Minister for Education and Child Development Universal Access Program The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:35): What I can assure the house is that the budget for the Department for Education and Child Development is growing, and over the period 2013-14 to 2017-18 we will see something like a $1.9 billion increase in budgets. What I can rule out is any cut to frontline services; what I can rule out is the 25,000 cuts across the Public Service that Isobel Redmond announced; what I can confirm— Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The minister will be seated. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: The minister is indulging in what you have previously always ruled as debate, so 98, and while I am here I might as well also point out that she is referring to members not by their titles. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Yes, the minister was not referring to the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Gardner House of Assembly Mr Gardner: The member for Heysen. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Heysen, who is not even here to defend herself, and accordingly I call— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: No, I warn the minister for the first time and call her back to the substance of the supplementary question. The Hon. J.M. RANKINE House of Assembly The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I apologise to the member for Heysen. My mind flipped back to a video that I recently saw that used the line that Isobel Redmond wanted to cut 25,000 jobs, so I apologise to the house and Isobel Redmond. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: On this occasion— The Hon. J.M. RANKINE House of Assembly The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I am apologising. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: — the minister was quoting from a celebrated video. The Hon. J.M. RANKINE House of Assembly The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I am apologising. South Australia leads the nation in its early childhood services. We are incredibly proud of the innovations that we have put in place, none of which were in place when the Liberals were in government. Early childhood was not even on the agenda; it was never discussed. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: That is of historical interest but not relevant to the question. The Leader of the Opposition.