Coalition’s hypocrisy on school funding will cost students

Media Release.

 

Peter Garrett  MP.
Minister for School Education
Early Childhood and Youth

 

20 May 2013

Christopher Pyne’s decision to delay “finalising” the Coalition’s position on the National Plan for School Improvement is a smokescreen to rip $16.2 billion away from Australian students, teachers and classrooms.  [The Australian – May 20, 2013]
It is clear Tony Abbott and the Coalition are attempting to avoid scrutiny and keep parents and teachers in the dark about their plans for school funding should they win the September election.
Only last year My Pyne said he was committed to:
“… offering every school certainty into the future.” [Media Release – August 14, 2012]
However, today he’s dumped this pledge and is focused on playing politics with school funding.
Mr Pyne’s dishonesty is a desperate attempt to hide from the fact Coalition policy is to keep a broken funding model that will see Commonwealth school funding go backwards by a staggering $16.2 billion over the next six years compared to the Gillard Government’s National Plan which will deliver $14.5 billion in extra resources for Australian schools.
His claims don’t add up.
CLAIM:   ”Under the current model, no school would be worse off … While indexation goes up and down, it has on average delivered 5.6 per cent over the last decade in additional funding, not the 3 per cent the Government claims.” [Courier Mail – May 20, 2013]
FACT:   Mr Pyne is using incorrect figures to support his bad calculation. He needs to substantiate the maths on this one, or stop peddling this fib. The Budget papers clearly show that based on state expenditure patterns Average Government School Recurrent Costs (AGSRC) is likely to fall by 3 per cent. Mr Pyne continues to use the ‘historical average’ figure above to support his claims, but it’s a complete furphy and misleading. The current rate is 3.9 per cent – well off the figure he continues to use to doctor his claims.
We know that because of falling indexation, and the Coalition’s refusal to properly invest in school education and remain committed to the current broken model, federal funding will decline by an average of $1.7 million per school, and $4,600 per student, nationwide.
Australians have a choice in September between Labor’s plan which will see schools resourced properly or the Coalition who continue to play politics with children’s futures.
It’s only the Coalition that are trying to con parents and play politics with the education of young Australians.
Liberal Premier Barry O’Farrell confirmed yesterday that Tony Abbott called him about the deal:
“Tony Abbott came and saw me whilst we were in the midst of cabinet discussion around whether or not we’d sign up to the Gonski reforms… [he said] that the agreement should not be entered into.” [The Australian –May 20, 2013]
It’s outrageous that Mr Abbott tried to strong arm Mr O’Farrell against signing up to a plan to deliver a better deal for schools when admitted last week he doesn’t:
“…know what the deal is” [Channel 7’s Sunrise - Interview with David Koch – May 15, 2013]
Labor’s National Plan for School Improvement delivers a fairer funding model that will guarantee schools are resourced properly for generations to come.
If the Coalition were focused on putting kids first, they’d read our policy and sign up to the National Plan.
Parents and teachers deserve to know if Tony Abbott’s Coalition will scrap the National Plan to deliver better schools and override agreements with state and territory governments to secure an improved funding deal for classrooms.