Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before the election, the Prime Minister promised no cuts to education and that his government would be 'on an absolute unity ticket' when it came to school funding. The Minister for Education said:

… you can vote Liberal or Labor and you'll get exactly the same amount of funding for your school.

Rather than keep its promise, however, the government has cut $30 billion from our classrooms over the next decade, including the vital fifth and sixth years of the Gonski reforms. This means in my electorate of Newcastle a cut of $195 million. This is the biggest ever cut to our schools and will mean: an average cut of $3.2 million per school, the same as sacking one in seven teachers; less individual support; less support for students with disability; literacy and numeracy programs cut; learning programs cut; and less training and support for teachers.

State premiers, Liberal and Labor, are opposed to this cut. In fact, New South Wales Premier Mike Baird described these cuts as 'a kick in the guts'. The New South Wales Liberal Minister for Education said:

Schools in regional areas, as well as disadvantaged and Aboriginal students, will be the hardest hit.

This will include schools in my electorate—schools like Waratah West Public School, which I will be visiting tomorrow morning to serve breakfast, to ensure that those kids get the very best possible start to their learning day they can. We on this side of the House know that education is an investment. It is time the Prime Minister kept his promise not to cut education, reversed these cuts and followed through with the Gonski reforms. (Time expired)

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