Mr LEE (11:40 AM) —The minister is trying to play a game here. We did not ask him about the total amount of funding provided to all schools in the bill; we are trying to determine the impact of the changes the minister is introducing in the bill. In the 1999 budget, you said that the impact of the changes you announced—the switch to SES funding for non-government schools—was $561 million. We already know there is an extra $50 million cost in the extra funding going to Catholic schools. We would like to know the total impact of the changes you are making to the funding for non-government schools.

When this issue was raised with your officials in the Senate committee last week, they could not give the parliament an answer. I think it is unacceptable for the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs to be in this parliament, debating a very important funding measure for non-government schools, and to be unable to tell us the updated figure so that we can assess the impact of this revolutionary change that he is forcing through the parliament. Minister, I ask you for the third time: will you please give us the updated figure on the impact of the changes you are making to funding for non-government schools? You said it was $561.3 million in the 1999 budget figures. What is your current estimate of the financial impact of the changes you are making to funding for non-government schools?