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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Research released today demonstrates that 79 per cent of Australians would rather see our schools properly funded than give away corporate tax cuts. So, Prime Minister, how is it fair that the Prime Minister is cutting billions from schools to pay for his $65 billion handout to big business?

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

Mr Speaker, how is it fair to have a school funding policy that Labor had when they were in government which had special deals from one part of Australia to another, which had special deals between students in one system and another without any consistency? For years the Labor Party have said that they hold up David Gonski's report as the gold standard but they never implemented it. What did David Gonski call for? He called for national, consistent needs-based funding and that is exactly what the government has delivered. By 2023, every state school, every government school, will be receiving from the Commonwealth 20 per cent of the schooling resource standard. Everyone right across the country, they'll all be getting that on a fair basis. Now that's fairness; that's consistency; that's transparency. The total school funding expenditure from the Commonwealth government, under our policy, will increase spending by $23 billion over that period, over the decade. That's a substantial increase in spending and, above all, it is needs based. What did we see during the Batman by-election? Much to the horror—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members on my left.

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

We saw the Leader of the Opposition rushing out with a special deal for the Catholic school system—oh, yes! He did. He was there. The Leader of the Opposition was there, denounced—

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

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

The member for Gorton.

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

by parents and teachers of government schools around the country because what he was doing was proving that he is addicted to special deals. He will not engage in a consistent fashion.

The reality is this: as we know, we are increasing school funding right across the country. And I just remind honourable members that over the 10 years of our plan Commonwealth funding for government schools will increase by 5.1 per cent; for Catholic schools by 3.7 per cent; for independent schools by 4.3 per cent per annum—a total average of 4.2 per cent. That is consistent growth in funding. We are bringing the underfunded schools up to the right parity, so that they're at that level of 20 per cent of the SRS for government schools, 80 per cent for non-government schools. That is being done over six years. That is a consistent message entirely in line with Gonski's recommendations. (Time expired)