Page 3490 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 18 August 2010
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challenges before us and the more prosperous we will be. There are more opportunities for people.
The ACT Liberals are running a one-sided campaign of misinformation about the Greens’ education policy. The Greens support the review into schools funding, as promised by the current government in 2007.We agree with educational experts that the current federal school funding model is flawed. However, the current government have delayed that review. If they are re-elected, that review will be done in 2013.
If elected, the coalition would keep the current funding model, first introduced under the Howard government, which heavily favours private schools. The coalition education spokesperson, Christopher Pyne, told the Christian Schools National Policy Forum in May this year that the Howard government was a great friend of the private school sector and that, if elected, a new coalition government would “take up the reins where the Howard government left off”.
This is despite the fact that this funding model been criticised as inequitable and unsustainable, delivering up to $7,000 per year per private school student compared to $1,000 a year per public school student. In fact, research commissioned by the AEU after the coalition made this announcement has shown that the election of a coalition government would see significant funding increases for private schools and a cut in the share of funding for public schools.
And we can go on to some research from the University of Sydney that found that between 2012 and 2016, under the coalition government, private schools would get a $2.3 billion increase whereas public schools would get $652 million. The research showed that in the period 2012-16, the total funding for private schools would be $9.5 billion compared to $3.1 billion for the public schools. Under this coalition arrangement, public schools, which teach more than two-thirds of students across Australia, would receive only a third of the funding. Is this really what the Liberals think is standing up for all Canberrans? I am sure that people who have children in our public schools do not quite see it their way.
Until the review is undertaken, the Greens will be working with the new government to ensure that funding is provided and flows to all levels of the public education system, to ensure a high-quality education for all students. We welcome debate on the issue of funding equity. It is crucial to get the balance right between supporting private and, in particular, less well-off independent and Catholic schools and supporting our public schools.
It is interesting that the Liberals have chosen to attack the Australian Greens on this issue. Without the Greens’ support, the building the education revolution program that was part of the stimulus package would not have been passed in the Senate.
Mr Barr: How was the ceremony, Steve? Was it a rip-off?
MS HUNTER: The Liberals and Nationals opposed this program to put better facilities out there in our schools—
Mr Seselja: It was delivered by a non-government school.
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