ABBOTT GOVERNMENT VOTES TO CUT SCHOOLS FUNDING

MEDIA RELEASE

THE HON BILL SHORTEN MP

LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION 

MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG

KATE ELLIS MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION

SHADOW MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD

MEMBER FOR ADELAIDE

27 March 2014

Tony Abbott has once again betrayed Australian students and displayed his twisted priorities with the Government voting against a move that would guarantee education funding could not be cut.

Today Labor moved to introduce legislation into the Parliament that would guarantee schools funding could not be cut. Labor's legislation meant that to secure Commonwealth education funding, state governments had to agree not to slash their own education budgets.

The Abbott Government voted to block Labor's legislation - they wouldn't even debate it, and Tony Abbott didn't even show up.

Before the election the Prime Minister pledged:

"...we will honour the agreements that Labor has entered into. We will match the offers that Labor has made. We will make sure that no school is worse off."

The Prime Minister told parents, students and teachers that he was on an:

"absolute unity ticket when it comes to school funding."

Today, the Prime Minister had an opportunity to reverse his broken promise on schools funding and support Labor's legislation. Instead, he and his colleagues walked away from the Gonski reforms, and cemented his betrayal of every parent, teacher and school community in Australia.

Today's vote by the Government is a display of Tony Abbott's twisted priorities.

The Prime Minister will give bigots the right to hate-speech, but he won't give our students the best possible chance of success.

The Prime Minister will bring backs knights and dames, but he won't support our teachers in the classroom.

The Prime Minister can find $5.5 billion so wealthy people can get $75,000 to have a baby, but he'll let state governments slash their education budgets.

Labor's Gonski reforms would have delivered $14.65 billion in additional funding for schools over six years, including over $10 billion in federal funding. In contrast, Tony Abbott is offering just $2.8 billion over four years.

Today's vote will mean more cuts for Australian schools and will mean every school will be worse off.

The Prime Minister might not remember the promise he gave on school funding before the election, but every parent and teacher in Australia will never forget it.