Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is a story about free beer tomorrow. That's how the Labor Party went about their Gonski proposal. They took a very serious funding issue and said, 'Look, we'll fund it over six years.' For those listening, you would know that the forward estimates occur over four years. The Labor Party significantly back-ended the funding into years 5 and 6. In terms of this place, years 5 and 6 don't exist. You fund programs, whether it's school based or any other sphere of responsibility, over six years. So effectively what the Labor Party was saying, in terms of Gonski school funding, is 'You'll get your free beer tomorrow.' That's the years 5 and 6.

Now they come into this place—make no mistake, this motion is about the South Australian state election that's upcoming, and the Labor Party wanting to find a wedge between themselves and the threat that is the so-called SA-BEST party—and they try to find a point of difference between them. But, quite frankly, this is the wrong way to start, and it's the wrong position. It's more of the kind of 'Mediscare'-type tactics that we saw in the last federal election. Why do I say that? I say that because we have adopted the Gonski plan and we're funding it not with free beer tomorrow but with needs based funding that increases every year across the program. No school in my electorate is worse off, nor should they be, given that there's an additional $1 billion being delivered into the program over the 10 years going forward.

I thought I'd deal with individual schools or classes of schools. I don't know if that's been done. If you talk about public schools in my electorate, they're seeing an increase of 24.3 per cent over the years 2018-21. If you take Keith—that might have been the type of school the member for Scullin was talking about earlier—they've gone from $3,021 in 2018 to $3,755 in 2021. That's a 24.3 per cent increase. Obviously there are great differences among schools across my electorate. We've also got a significant penetration of Lutheran schools in my electorate. They're enjoying increases of 16.7 per cent. Catholic schools: 12.8 per cent increase. Independent schools: 29.2 per cent increase. That's why I and other members of this place received a letter from Gregg Smith, the principal of Rivergum Christian College in my electorate, beseeching those opposite during this debate to vote for our proposal.

This is about what is best for all schools across all sectors in the long-term. So don't take it from those opposite what's best for school sectors. Take it from people within the sector—someone who, with respect, lives this fight daily. Those listening shouldn't fall for this. I'm looking forward to Mr Zappia, or the member for Makin, coming into this place—

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