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

I will take Senator Collins at her word that she is too young for the DLP, but I certainly will not take her at her word when it comes to talk about cuts, because time and time again in this place I have been very clear about the additional funding growth that is there. In relation to the Catholic education system in Australia, there is $3.4 billion of growth built in over the next 10 years—year on year growth for Catholic education systems across each of the states of Australia. This is a growth factor that ensures each of them will ultimately be treated equally, fairly, across the Commonwealth, regardless of the state boundaries but based on the needs of those individual systems. That is why it provides faster rates of growth to Catholic education systems in states like Western Australia and Tasmania—to ensure that for the first time ever they will be treated fairly relative to their Catholic education system cousins in Victoria and New South Wales, to deliver a fair, consistent approach— (Time expired)