Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Vocational Education) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Petrie for his contribution, which he made just before me, and also the contributions of others on that side of the House to the Australian Education Amendment Bill 2017. I am sure we will hear more speeches flogging the dead horse of a claim that they are going to increase funding to schools.

Mr Howarth interjecting—

I would suggest to the member for Petrie that so many of them went to the 2013 election on a promise, and maybe that is why they are feeling some pain now, because that promise was that if you elected them you would get all the Gonski funding, dollar for dollar, equivalent to what Labor was providing. So despite running through school names and claims of amounts of money, the problem they are going to have when they campaign on this at the next election, as the member for Petrie referred to, is that people in every one of those schools will be saying then, as they are saying now, 'That's not what you promised and we are not happy with the cut that is being delivered in the piece of legislation before us today.'

If you want to talk about jobs and growth, if you want to talk about improving employment opportunities, it is absolutely true that education is central. It is a fundamental, core basis of the Australian story of people getting a chance in life to reach their full potential. There will be a number of opportunities to talk on this aspect of the budget. This budget makes cuts at every level of education. The schools sector sees $22 billion worth of cuts. The TAFE and vocational education sector sees massive cuts. The university sector—not only cuts, but pushing the cost back onto students. All of that is difficult enough, but it is damning when you consider it is done in the context of a $65 billion tax cut for the big end of town. It is not that they had no choice; it is exactly that they did choose. They chose the big end of town over investing in education to give all Australians a fair opportunity.

How did we get to this point with this bill? I would like to put some context around this. It is true that Labor in government undertook the landmark review into school funding. We did that because the minister at the time, Julia Gillard, had identified that we had a very long tail of disadvantage in our schools, that there was a clear issue for us as a nation, and that too many people were being left behind. We wanted an eminent body of people to look at the issue of school funding, and that is what they did.

That led to the recommendation for establishing the Schooling Resource Standard—a standard that would be sector blind and would clearly define what funding level all schools needed to deliver a great education for all of our kids. That funding model would guarantee extra funding, in particular for kids with the poorest outcomes, to give them the extra help they needed. Labor's funding model and the Australian Education Act 2013, enshrined a very important objective into law. That objective was:

All students in all schools are entitled to an excellent education, allowing each student to reach his or her full potential so that he or she can succeed, achieve his or her aspirations, and contribute fully to his or her community, now and in the future.

How is that playing out on the ground? Let me give two examples of local schools in my area. First of all, Keira High School, which, as a result of the bill before us today, will see a $922,000 cut to their funding over the next two years. At Keira High School every Aboriginal student has a teacher-mentor and access to the AIME program. They have been delivering Aboriginal studies to every year 7 and 8 student. Keira High School is also able to deliver a stage 6 Aboriginal studies course to students at the high school, as well as to students from other schools. That is how they are using that additional funding.

Woonona High School in my electorate will have $447,000 cut from their funding over the next two years. They have reduced class sizes, increased curriculum choices and increased the number of students who now have the confidence and ability to attend university. Prior to the funding going through to the school in 2012, only 15 per cent of Woonona High School students went on to study at university. That number rose to 55 per cent in 2016—an amazing outcome.

This government simply does not value education for all. The changes being introduced in this bill before parliament represent a $22 billion cut to our schools.

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