George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Dastyari, I am delighted to be able to tell you that Mr Turnbull and our colleague the Minister for Education and Training, Senator Birmingham, yesterday made a very important announcement in relation to schools funding, as a result of which this government is investing more money in schools than any Australian government has ever invested before. We are investing more money in Australian schools and Australian schoolchildren than any Australian government, coalition or Labor, has ever invested before—a record $73.6 billion over the next four years.

In 2016 there is $16 billion in school funding. By 2020, as a result of decisions by this government, there will be some $20 billion in school funding. The budget will include an additional $1.2 billion for schools over four years from 2017-18 that will allow for funding to meet increases in the real costs of schooling. There is more funding, and this funding will be allocated on the basis of need—for Indigenous students, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, students who need English-language assistance and those in regional and remote Australia. In fact, we have now committed an additional $118 million for students with a disability who are currently missing out on the support that they need. Funding should go where it is most needed. Needs based funding has always been a fundamental commitment of the coalition, a principle on which the Labor Party has been very late to the party.