Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

We are canvassing religions and schooling today, it seems. Yes, I have an emotional commitment to public schools. I have an emotional commitment to Gawler High School, where I attended; I have an emotional commitment to public schools right around Australia, and I expect to see the best possible outcomes. I would encourage Senator Wright to read the whole discussion paper. Is says that spending by all Australian governments grew by 37 per cent in real terms in the 10 years between 2002-03 and 2012-13, yet we now have fewer high achievers and more low performers than we had a decade ago. So, while how much funding schools get is important, it is not the silver bullet for better results. How it is spent matters more.