Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The one thing that this bill, the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2016-2017, makes clear is that in this government's mind we cannot afford to invest in our students—yet apparently we can afford massive tax cuts for big banks and multinational companies. This budget, the first by now Treasurer Morrison, was supposed to be and was described to be a break from the unfair budgets of his predecessor, the former member for North Sydney. Unfortunately, what it shows upon consideration is that the Prime Minister and government have changed in name only. The coalition's agenda to cut from our schools has never been clearer, despite the rhetoric of the minister opposite.

The funding for 2017-18 is based on an education-specific indexation rate of 3.56 per cent. In the portfolio-specific budget statement this is referred to as additional funding, but it is clear these are funding cuts which will have a large impact on the ability of particular schools to meet the needs of students. If the government planned to continue with their move to not properly fund, or to not fund at all, the vital years five and six of needs-based funding, I ask the minister: how can a flat indexation rate bring schools up to the Student Resourcing Standard? In answering this question, perhaps the minister might have regard to Budget Paper No. 1 which, despite his assertions to the contrary, makes clear that education spending is stable in real terms.

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