State rules grounds out of bounds for Peter Garrett

THE Queensland government banned federal Education Minister Peter Garrett from visiting two schools in Brisbane yesterday.

THE Queensland government banned federal Education Minister Peter Garrett from visiting two schools in Brisbane yesterday because it did not want them and their students to become backdrops for political campaigns.

Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said he had made the decision after Julia Gillard had made clear the day before when she visited a non-government school in Brisbane that she would be running a political campaign on education reforms in schools.

"We're not going to allow political campaigning in schools and using our kids as props," Mr Langbroek said. He said there was not a blanket ban on politicians visiting schools. The West Australian government yesterday refused permission for Ms Gillard to use a hall in a state school for a fundraising function, but Premier Colin Barnett said it was a different case to Queensland.

Fremantle MP Melissa Parke hired a hall at the John Curtin College of the Arts in Fremantle for a function where Ms Gillard was to be interviewed by entertainer Ben Elton, but the state government cancelled the booking after it found out that it was a political fundraiser.

Mr Barnett was, however, critical of the Queensland government's decision, replying "Yes, I do" when asked if it had gone too far and said he had no problem with Mr Garrett visiting schools in his ministerial role.

"But he can't come to a school and run a Labor Party fundraiser. That's the issue," he said. Mr Garrett yesterday accused Queensland's Liberal National Party government of acting undemocratically and of trying to stifle debate on the federal school reform package with its "unprecedented" decision. He called on Premier Campbell Newman and Mr Langbroek to reconsider the decision.