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

My question is to the Prime Minister. On Monday in question time, the Prime Minister claimed funding for students with a disability in Tasmania would not be cut by one-third, or $12 million, in 2018. And yesterday, the Prime Minister again refused to admit he was cutting their funding. Has the Prime Minister now seen this answer to a question on notice issued by his own education department which confirms his cut? Will the Prime Minister now admit that he misled the House on Monday, or is he really so arrogant that he cannot admit he got it wrong?

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

The honourable member will be pleased to know that total Commonwealth funding in Tasmania will grow from an estimated $409 million in 2017 to $427 million in 2018 and, by 2027 the Commonwealth's schools funding will grow to $594 million. Commonwealth per student funding over 2018 to 2027 in Tasmania is estimated to grow 4.1 per cent on average per year.

As far as funding for students with disabilities, what is happening is that there is a move to a national measure of funding for disabilities. At the moment, each state has a different measure of disabilities, and there is a shift, which is appropriate and has been well supported, to the NCCD, nationally consistent definitions of funding. What that is going to mean is that the number of students in Tasmania who will be funded for disability will increase, but they will be funded at different levels.

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

Lower!

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

If the honourable members would stop shouting, I can give them some information, if they have any interest in it. At the moment, the students in Tasmania are funded at the same level regardless of the level of disability, whether it is what is described as supplementary, substantial or extensive. Under the nationally consistent level, the funding percentage—the loading—for students with what is described as a supplementary level of disability is 42 per cent in primary and 33 per cent in secondary. At a substantial level of disability, it is 146 per cent in primary and 116 per cent in secondary. And for extensive disability, it is 312 per cent in primary and 240 per cent in secondary. That is the reason for the change. It is a nationally consistent measure. What it means is that more students in Tasmania, and indeed across the country, will be receiving supplementary support, additional support, for disabilities, but it will be done on a nationally consistent basis.

Comparing the funding under the government's nationally consistent plan, which has been agreed to by the jurisdictions, with what is happening at the moment is not comparing like with like. That is the point. It is consistent and it is transparent and, I might say, in reference to something that used to be very close to the honourable member's heart, it is needs based. It is needs based. She used to like that.