Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Through the comprehensive amendments I introduced yesterday to the Australian Education Bill 2012 the government is enshrining in law a new nationally consistent approach to funding school education based on the needs of schools and students.

This is the government's commitment to ensure that the nation supports our schools so that every child gets the best possible start in life.

This legislative framework will make certain that Australia's schooling system is fair, appropriately supported and based on a culture of improvement and good practice.

We are ensuring that there is a plan for our children to be taught well in schools that are funded well.

This new national approach to schools funding is in response to the first comprehensive review of Australian school funding in almost 40 years.

Through the Australian Education Bill 2012, the government's purpose is to ensure a high-quality and highly equitable schooling system for all students, to achieve a national goal of being placed in the top five countries in reading, science and mathematics, quality and equity in recognised international testing by 2025.

For the first time all recurrent Commonwealth funding for participating schools will be delivered through fair and transparent needs-based arrangements, providing new investment linked to reforms that will help to improve each student's achievements at school.

For participating schools, additional investment will support the evidence-based reforms in the National Plan for School Improvement that are focused on quality teaching, quality learning, transparency and accountability, meeting student need and empowering school leadership.

No matter how rich or poor your parents are, the school you attend or the circumstances of your birth, school funding should be based on what it takes to ensure every student gets an excellent education.

The Australian Education (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2013 would amend certain Commonwealth laws and contains transitional arrangements consequential to the enactment of the Australian Education Bill. It forms part of the government's national school education reform agenda.

The government has agreed that Commonwealth recurrent funding for all Australian schools and capital funding for non-government schools will be provided under the proposed Australian Education Act from 1 January 2014. This includes funding for schools participating in the reform arrangements and for government schools in states or territories that choose not to participate.

The Australian Education Bill when enacted will succeed the provisions for recurrent funding under the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009 for government schools and recurrent and capital funding under the Schools Assistance Act 2008 for non-government schools.

Commonwealth funding to states and territories for the administration of school systems and their associated recurrent expenditure, the national specific purpose payment for schools, is currently provided under section 11 of the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009. The funding is determined on a financial year basis, indexed and apportioned between the states and territories by determination by the Treasurer under that act. The estimated financial year payment, based on the latest available estimates of relevant growth parameters, is paid to the state in advance under section 19 of that act. By convention, and consistent with the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations, these payments are made in monthly instalments. The minister makes a final determination after the end of the financial year and any adjustment is made in the subsequent financial year.

Schedule 1 of the bill would repeal section 11 of the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009 in relation to national specific purpose payments to schools and transitional provisions would enable a smooth transition from a financial year appropriation under the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009, to a calendar year appropriation under the proposed Australian Education Act.

Schedule 1 would also amend the Schools Assistance Act 2008 to cease calendar year funding for non-government schools for capital purposes under this act from the end of the 2013 calendar year. Commonwealth capital funding for non-government schools is currently appropriated under the Schools Assistance Act 2008 through to December 2014 but is intended to be appropriated under the proposed Australian Education Act from January 2014.

Schedule 1 would also repeal a number of provisions of the Federal Financial Relations Act that deal with the total amount of financial assistance for the 2008-09 financial year, as these provisions are spent.

Schedule 2 of the bill contains transitional provisions, including providing for certain approvals and determinations required by or referred to under the Australian Education Bill to be deemed to have been made in reference to schools and authorities existing prior to 1 January 2014.

These provisions will ease transition and reduce the administrative burden for existing schools and systems moving to the new arrangements.

Specifically, these provisions would allow an approved authority for a non-government school or system under the Schools Assistance Act 2008 as of 31 December 2013 to be deemed an approved authority under the proposed Australian Education Act as of 1 January 2014. A similar provision applies in relation to block grant authorities who administer capital funding for non-government schools. The minister will also be taken to have approved a state or territory to be the approved authority for government schools located in their state or territory.

Further, these transitional provisions also suspend requirements for an approved authority to be a body corporate and have a school improvement plan for each school until 31 December 2014, meaning compliance is not required until 1 January 2015, rather than immediately on 1 January 2014.

The changes in this bill support the implementation of the government's schools funding reform and the National Plan for School Improvement. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.