Budget 2014: Government will 'certainly' cut Labor education programs, says Christopher Pyne

Updated

Education Minister Christopher Pyne says the Government will "certainly" slash Labor education programs, but says overall spending in the sector will not change.

The Government has previously promised no cuts to health and education funding, but has said that it will redirect spending in the portfolios as it sees fit.

Mr Pyne says the Government will focus on the programs and projects the Coalition thinks are "more important".

"There'll certainly be cuts to some Labor programs, of course there will be," he said.

"The overall spending on education will continue to rise, but there will be cuts within education to Labor's programs.

"Obviously the public changed the government because they knew we would reprioritise spending. But spending will increase. It's just that we have to stop rampant spending increases that were occurring under Labor," he told the Nine network.

The Government is yet to reveal which Commission of Audit recommendations it will adopt or reject.

The audit, released yesterday, suggests a range of controversial proposals, including the end of universal health care for those on high incomes.

Mr Pyne is stressing the commission's wide-ranging recommendations do not belong to the Government.

"It's a shopping list if you like, of all the various things a government could do if it wanted to," he said.

"The overall theme is we have to get our spending under control.

"[The Australian people] know it's going to be a tough budget, and they're ready for that.

"It is going to be a difficult period for a little while, but there is a light on the other side of the tunnel."

Labor’s deputy leader Tanya Plibersek is questioning the Government's priorities, specifically the ongoing commitment to Prime Minister Tony Abbott's paid parental leave scheme.

"Why do you want to spend $5.5 billion on paid parental leave every year if there's a budget emergency? Is that the most important spending that there is? Is it more important than the aged pension?" Ms Plibersek asked.

"Taxpayers will be paying for it and pensioners will be paying for it with a cut in the aged pension.

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Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, budget, health-policy, education, australia

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