Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

We've increased our overall funding by 80 per cent since coming to office. We've increased our overall funding to government schools by 100 per cent—that is, we have doubled the funding which we have provided to government schools. So I'd say to those opposite who are interjecting: we don't believe the rhetoric which you put out that we've somehow cut funding. The facts speak for themselves: a doubling of funding overall for government schools and an 80 per cent increase for the funding for schools overall. The numbers do not lie, as Minister Gee beside me has just pointed out. We have some specific measures in the budget to complement that overall funding package.

Finally, I'll mention higher education. We have very considerable funding to our universities and to the other higher education providers. I specifically mention an important package of $53 million for the private higher education providers to assist them with some of the financial difficulties which they are going through as well as to provide additional short courses for Australians. Of course, this complements the extra $1.5 billion funding that we gave to the public universities in our October budget last year.

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