Digital Education Strategy

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): My question is to the Premier. Did the education minister advise the Premier that he had cut the budget for the laptop program by $20 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —prior to the—

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta—

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Premier claiming credit for the program?

The SPEAKER: —there is a point of order which I am bound to hear under 134, and which I will do so.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order: the member asked the same question to two different ministers. We speak as one.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We will hear the question.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: My question is to the Premier. Did the Minister for Education advise the Premier that he had reduced funding for the laptop program by $20 million prior to the Premier claiming credit for the program on 29 January? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We are going to hear the question and then I will turn to the member for West Torrens. Member for Morialta, please conclude the question.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: On 29 January this year, the Premier issued a press release claiming:

…discounts to school fees and laptop purchases are providing South Australian families with much needed cost of living relief—with some families thousands of dollars better off.

The biggest saving for some families will be through the Malinauskas Labor government's new laptop program.

However, documents released to the opposition through FOI have revealed that in late 2022 the Minister for Education approved revisions to the strategy released by the former Liberal government, including delays to the rollout of devices and a $21.9 million reduction in funding for the program.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I see that the point of order is not being maintained, so I will turn to the minister.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER (Wright—Minister for Education, Training and Skills) (14:12): I thank the member for Morialta for the question. I find it a bit rich that we are being lectured on cost-of-living initiatives in the education department.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Chaffey!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Morphett!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: So we had a rushed—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned for a second time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: We had a rushed program.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: We had those opposite—

The SPEAKER: Minister, please be seated. If there are further interjections from the members I have already warned, they will be departing under 137A. It is impossible for me to hear the minister. The chamber wishes to hear the minister. Minister.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: Thank you, Mr Speaker. What we had from those opposite was a pretty rushed policy towards the end of their four years in government, late to the party on cost-of-living issues as per usual from the South Australian Liberal Party.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: No-one would ever accuse those opposite of being in touch. Upon coming to government, of course, we made a series of very significant election commitments around education. One of those was, of course, cost of living as well. We matched those opposite when they made a commitment around $100 off the materials and services charge. We have now extended that beyond the commitment that was made by the Liberal Party.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: We have delivered it for a third time, and now on top of that comes a digital strategy which by 2026 will see every child who is eligible for the School Card in the public education system get their laptop for free. So on that basis—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: As I said in the answer to the member for Morialta's earlier question—and I know the member for Port Adelaide will remember this about a very significant digital device strategy which was committed to by the then Liberal government in 2018 and the first thing that was done—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: They say it wasn't a strategy, but it had money behind it. It had real money behind it—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: —and one of the first things they did was cut it, so I won't be lectured to by those opposite when one of the first things they did when they came to government was cut the initiative made by the member for Port Adelaide.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morphett is warned.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER: Hypocrisy writ large.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, please be seated. The member for Morphett, who persistently interjects, will depart under 137A for the remainder of question time. The member for Florey is not far behind.

The honourable member for Morphett having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: Minister, you have the call—you have concluded your answer? Very well. I turn to the opposition.