Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Budget Paper No. 2, as Senator Collins indicates, is a clear and permanent record of the real agenda of this government that is set to rip away the fabric of equity and excellence that the former government, during the 43rd Parliament, was building consensus for right across every sector. We know that right now, while this debate is going on in the parliament, there is incredible uncertainty out in our schools about the future of funding, incredible disappointment about what this government is doing—particularly for the period beyond the four years.

Importantly, we note in this report that the lack of clarity around the processes for the amendments to the Australian Education Act, and the possible effect of removing the command-and-control mechanisms from this act, are set to have devastating impacts on opportunities for equity in states that sit outside New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania. We also have concerns about the accountability and transparency measures that make sure funding is going to the schools that require it the most. As it stands, the reality is that students who are going to schools right across this nation will now not have a chance of getting equitable access to proper education. The reality is that this government has ensured that students in the Northern Territory and Western Australia are never going to have their school systems provide accountability for the money they are putting in. The Students First system that this government wants will enable the money that comes from the federal government to simply dribble through into the general pool. The reality is for our students that the money they need to allow them to do the learning that they need to do, and the money that our teachers need to get the resources that they need to be able to do the job and make learning happen, is now certainly not guaranteed.

In closing, I would like to put on the record that the consensus we achieved through the Gonski process and review is one that must not be lost despite this current government's harmful and deliberate intent to confuse the Australian people and to create a pretence that they are on a joint ticket, that there is no difference between the Labor view and the Liberal view of funding. The reality is we need a six-year transition to a nationally consistent school resource standard. We need to maintain commitments that were made under the National Education Reform Agreement. We need to focus on those elements of quality teaching, quality learning, empowered school leadership, meeting student needs and greater transparency and accountability; and we need to make sure we conduct the reviews that are prescribed under the national education reform agenda and strive for equitable funding for schools that are most in need. None of these things can happen with the model of educational vandalism that we are seeing put forward by those opposite today. The reality is: this report is a vital marker in terms of us keeping our eye on the ball in the quest for equity for every Australian child while they attend school education. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.