Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The executive director of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria, Mr Stephen Elder, has said about the Prime Minister's schools policy, and I quote: 'If this is supposed to be a needs-based funding model, why will some of the most disadvantaged public schools in the country lose money?' How is it fair that the Prime Minister’s $22 billion cut leaves the neediest students worse off, or is the Prime Minister also going to accuse Catholic educators of being dishonest in this debate?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government's schools funding policy is rigorously transparent and needs based. It has been endorsed as such by David Gonski himself, who wrote the report upon which the Labor Party relied for years as they proceeded to corrupt that clear vision of David Gonski and his panel, which was to have school funding that was needs based and transparent. That is why it has been so well received across the nation. The Leader of the Opposition cannot convince his own caucus of the nonsense that he is talking, he cannot convince his own shadow cabinet and he could not even convince the editorial panel of The Age. The reality is this: he has been found out. He and the member for Sydney have been found out.

We have delivered exactly what Gonski recommended. Let us be quite clear: it is transparent and needs based. Government schools get 20 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard by the end of the period—that is, by 2027—as they are all progressively brought up to that standard. That Schooling Resource Standard is not discounted or diminished by reference to a school community's ability to contribute under the SES formula. That does apply to the Schooling Resource Standard for the non-government sector, as it always has, and for that sector the Commonwealth will provide, consistently with the past, 80 per cent. But right now, on average, the Commonwealth is funding 17 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard for the government sector—we are increasing it to 20 per cent—and a bit over 77 per cent for the non-government sector, which we are increasing to 80 per cent. That is a difference. It is transparent, it is clear and it is fair. The facts are there and the methodology is there. It is one for everybody to see. What the Leader of the Opposition delivered was one shonky deal after another.

Mr Danby interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne Ports will leave under 94(a).

The member for Melbourne Ports then left the chamber.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have delivered a straightforward, needs-based, transparent system. It is fair, it is consistent, it is national and it is needs based, as it should be and as Gonski recommended.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek to table the press release from Mr Stephen Elder saying, 'The Liberal Party has forgotten Bob Menzies old primary school and about education.'

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is leave granted? No. Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the House is quite right: the document is already on the public record, and I refer you to my previous rulings.