Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Chisholm, in Melbourne's east, is the third most culturally diverse electorate in Australia, and it follows that there is a diversity in different school offerings. Ultimately, every child needs quality teachers and schools with the right resources and the right tools and programs in place so that they can succeed. That is exactly what the Turnbull government's $18.6 billion quality schools plan will deliver.

The leadership in principals in Chisholm schools reflects the quality of the teachers. Great leaders know that it is important to rely on the facts and truth—a fundamental core value—not least because of the importance to pass this on to their children and students. Labor's opposition and untruths in relation to the education reforms and people running scare campaigns for the sake of political pointscoring or for trying to get a special deal for their school sector should cease. I know this because these past few weeks I have communicated and met with all the principals of schools across Chisholm and, despite the scare tactics by commentators and Labor, the principals invariably have embraced the Turnbull government's quality schools program. The teachers, parents and, indeed, senior students I have spoken to in Chisholm equally want fact, not fiction. They seek to be, understandably, alert and informed. They know that their school stands to benefit from the increased funding, which is transparent for all to see on the school funding estimator. In fact, their greatest concern is more about the alarmist untruths and misleading commentary made by Labor about the future of their children's education—all of which is counterproductive to the philosophy of Gonski 2.0.

The Turnbull government's education reforms and needs based funding model for schools, as endorsed by David Gonski, are about fairness. We are treating all non-government schools identically, with none of the special deals that Labor dealt out based on background or faith. There are no more Labor generated secret deals. Forty-seven schools, in every sector, in every local community in the electorate of Chisholm will be receiving significant increases in funding because of our needs based funding program. The fact is that every single Catholic school based in Chisholm will see increased funding. The fact is the Catholic schooling system around Australia will receive more than $1.2 billion extra over the next four years and around $3.4 billion extra over the next 10 years.

In relation to systemic arrangements—that is, schools that operate as systems, including the Catholic schooling system around the country—they will still continue to receive their funding as a lump sum funding entitlement, enabling them to redistribute that money across their schools as they see fit. There is no reason, with that scale of additional funding flowing into their schools, that fees need to increase anywhere around the country. If they do, that is a decision for the Catholic education authorities, who are responsible for allocating that lump sum.

The total increase in federal government funding for schools in Chisholm over the next 10 years is $244 million. This is great news for the primary and secondary schools in Chisholm and, indeed, across Australia. There are over 20,000 students in Chisholm who will stand to benefit. Importantly, our increased funding will be tied to reforms that evidence shows make a real difference to supporting our teachers and schools and to improving student outcomes. This is a fair system that is good for students, good for parents and good for teachers.

David Gonski stood alongside the Prime Minister and Minister Birmingham in announcing our $18.6 billion investment in school funding, which entails a comprehensive rewrite of the way school funding occurs so that every school across the country is treated in an equal way, based on their own need and circumstance. The Quality Schools program is realising the vision of David Gonski in a measured and pragmatic way. This government is applying an honest, straightforward and comprehensive outline of the intent behind the recommendations of the Gonski report that was handed down six years ago.

The Turnbull government is delivering a uniform model for school funding, and it is under that uniform model that we are able to invest more into the students who need it most. The Turnbull-Birmingham reforms are sensible, pragmatic and fair. They are based on facts, not fiction. The principals and teachers who I have spoken to quite are justifiably alert to the changes but not alarmed by the rhetoric and emotive baseless language. Most importantly, these reforms are needs based so, regardless of which name, faith or sector is on the school gate, every Aussie kid has the same opportunity.

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