Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I thought the member for Menzies might join us, and he is belatedly standing and agreeing that this is a matter of definite public importance, because future funding for our schools—government schools, Catholic schools and independent schools—is in chaos as we speak now. It takes something close to a miracle to unite advocates of the public system, representing about 70 per cent of schools in this country, with advocates of the Catholic system, representing about 20 per cent of schools in this country—together, 90 per cent of schools in this country—against this funding model. And today we hear from representatives of the independent schools that they are looking at withdrawing their support for this model too. Why is it? It is because this government has delivered only chaos to parents, to teachers and to the members of their own backbench, who have been fed dodgy data in order to get their support in the Liberal Party room. We have seen the minister selectively releasing dodgy figures, dribbling them out day after day to try and get the support of his backbench for a funding package that, in the government's own document, cuts $22.3 billion from the schools over the decade. It gets very complicated when you have competing numbers out there, but, if we cannot trust the government's own briefing to journalists on the day this package was announced, then we cannot trust anything that comes afterward. This document says:

Compared to Labor's arrangements, this represents a savings of … $22.3 billion over 10 years …

That sounds like a cut to me.

We also see the government telling one thing to parents and one thing to the party room, to the backbench, and then trying to slide out selective data on the weekend to try and get the Greens party room over the line to support this funding package. They think that, by releasing figures that show a $4.6 billion cut from Catholic schools, they are going to get the Greens over the line. Whoopsie! Own goal! They did not really think about the Catholics on their backbench who are a bit upset about the fact. The leaking of the Department of Education figures by the government, for the brilliant tactical reason of getting the Greens over the line, has actually meant chaos on their own backbench and insurrection in their own party room. We have had the member for Menzies saying:

To do a deal with the Greens seems madness to me, that we're hell-bent on driving our own base away in return for votes from the Greens in which we'll never be rewarded at the ballot box.

We have had an unnamed Liberal MP saying:

It leaves me with a very sour taste in my mouth. I'm wondering if Minister Birmingham deliberately misled the partyroom when he gave his briefing.

We have had another unnamed Liberal MP saying that it 'made a travesty of the party room process' and:

If the consequences of this policy are far more dire for the Catholic and Independent sector than originally briefed than we need to be told.

Of course, we have seen a lot in the media the last couple of days from the Catholic sector and from independent schools, but from the very beginning public school advocates have been against this bill because the worst affected are the public schools, who will see billions of dollars of cuts. The Australian Education Union has said, 'Turnbull's education cuts are disaster for our kids.' And here is an unusual person for me to be quoting: Rob Stokes, the education minister from New South Wales, who says:

We recognise that budgeting is a difficult process, and every Government has to consider its priorities. As a Government we prioritised education, school education, because we see its benefits across every other area of government service. So the Federal Government really needs to consider what its priorities are in the way that the New South Wales Government already has.

The Catholic sector have lost confidence. They have made that very clear. They have said they will make the Liberals wear this like an albatross around their necks every day to the next election. Public schools never had confidence in this funding package and we now hear that independent schools are also worried.

We heard a little leak from the cabinet room this morning. There is full-scale leaking from the Liberal Party room this morning. The leak we heard from the Liberal Party room this morning was: 'It's okay; Minister Birmingham's got it all in hand. He's going to do a deal with the Catholics and we're going to work this out.' But here we have a statement from the National Catholic Education Commission saying:

Following our meeting with Minister Birmingham yesterday, there has been speculation about a compromise having been offered. At 2.45 pm, that has not happened. We have heard nothing. Accordingly, our position continues to be that this legislation should be withdrawn and all sectors invited to contribute to the redesign of a school funding model that will enjoy the support of Catholic, government and independent schools.

The reason that you have unity from educators and parents opposing this $22 billion cut is that they know that their children will miss out on the individual attention, the special supports, the one-on-one attention and the extra help with literacy, numeracy, maths, science, coding and languages—all of the things that the early years of needs-based funding have allowed. Parents know that this means gifted and talented kids will not be extended. They know it means kids who have a learning difficulty will not have that addressed.

Over the next two years alone, New South Wales public schools will lose $846 million while The King's School in Sydney gets a $19 million increase over the decade. Does that sound like it is needs based to you? Victorian public schools will lose $630 million while Geelong Grammar gets a $16 million increase. Does that sound needs based to you? Queensland public schools will lose $730 million over the next two years alone, while Churchie gets an increase of $17 million. Does that sound needs based to you? South Australian schools, mostly public schools, will lose $265 million, while Scotch College in Adelaide gets an almost $10 million increase. Tasmanian public schools will lose $68 million, while the Friends' School in Hobart gets a $19 million increase over the decade. Does that sound needs based to anyone in this room?

It is not needs-based funding and it is not sector-blind funding when it is funding model that entrenches the unfairness. It entrenches the unfairness because government schools will only ever be offered 20 per cent of their fair funding level by those opposite. That means Northern Territory public schools will actually go backwards, from 23 per cent to 20 per cent. We also know that it is not needs-based funding when the Northern Territory public schools are the worst affected and the Tasmanian public schools are the second worst affected. The unfairness is entrenched in the model, where public schools get only 20 per cent of their fair funding level and non-government schools get 80 per cent of their fair funding level.

We see the impact on low-fee Catholic schools around this country. I have to say that the parents who are here from the Broken Bay Diocese today have done a marvellous job of standing up for their kids. They know that for the little Catholic schools that are charging $1,500, $2,000 or $3,000 a year in fees their funding goes backward to the tune of millions of dollars. In this diocese, we are talking about $30 million cut in one year from 44 schools while some of the wealthiest schools in the country actually get an increase under this funding model. How is it fair and how is it needs based when a little Catholic school on the Central Coast faces a fee increase of thousands of dollars and a school like the King's School that is already charging almost $30,000 a year in fees actually gets a funding increase? On what planet is this needs-based funding?

Despite everything the Prime Minister likes to claim, this is not what the Gonski review panel recommended. The review panel recommended that states and territories work together to get every child in every school in every sector in every state to their fair funding level. This does not do this. This sends some children in some schools backwards, including some the most disadvantaged children in this country. The low-fee Catholic schools, the Northern Territory public schools and the Tasmanian public schools go backward, and some of the wealthiest schools get a funding increase.

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