Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a tragedy that not all Victorian senators are looking after their constituents. The Catholic education sector, in particular, has valid concerns about the funding they will receive under the government's model and the likelihood that funding cuts will force an increase in school fees, which parents simply cannot afford. Clearly I am one of the few Victorian senators who listen to principals in the state of Victoria. The principal of Aquinas College in Ringwood, Mr Tony O'Byrne, recently wrote to the parents of that school, and I will very briefly read out a chunk of what he has written. He wrote:

It is important that politicians from all political parties understand the requirement that Catholic education continue to be funded at least at its current level plus any indexation for rising costs. Parents will be well aware that currently Catholic schools operate on approximately 90 per cent of the financial resources that are available to government schools and it is clear in negotiations that the government is seeking to discount what might be available to Catholic schools.