Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I am greatly disappointed that the national representatives of the National Party in the Senate are not prepared to support this motion because it is, in fact, calling on the Senate to note the very interesting motion that was passed by the New South Wales Nationals' annual general conference calling on the federal government to honour the six-year Gonski funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the New South Wales government. That was certainly an agreement that was supported by the New South Wales Nationals education minister at the time, Mr Piccoli, because it is very clear from the Gonski review that rural and country schools in particular are disadvantaged by our current funding system and that there is a big gap between the achievements of rural students and those in urban areas, that funding over a period of six years is certainly needed and that if that funding is not forthcoming then those sorts of students in those areas will suffer significant disadvantage. So we support the New South Wales Nationals' courage and we would have thought that their national colleagues would have done so too.