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

I thank Senator Duniam for his question and his passionate commitment to ensure the best for schoolchildren in Tasmania and particularly the best of school funding for schoolchildren across Tasmania.

Under our reforms, children across all school systems in Tasmania will be beneficiaries of a fairer funding model. In particular, as I alluded to before, take the Catholic education system in Tasmania: it will see funding growth of an average of 4.4 per cent under the Turnbull government's reforms. That is a higher level of growth than for some other Catholic education systems because, historically, Tasmania has had a raw deal under previous funding arrangements. Our application of consistency across the country helps to ensure that students in Tasmania—Mr President, it is your home state as well, I acknowledge—get fair and equal treatment from the federal government, as they should across every state and territory. That 4.4 per cent funding growth for the Tasmanian Catholic education system will see growth from $149 million this year to more than $180 million for Catholic education in Tasmania by 2021—growth of around 21 per cent over that four-year time horizon.

Equally, Tasmanian public schools in the government system will see strong growth as well—four per cent growth above inflation and above wages growth. It is a commitment to ensure that they receive a common share of the schooling resource standard and, indeed, with the commitment and investment from the Tasmanian government, that they will reach the schooling resource standard as a result of the combined efforts of the Commonwealth and the Tasmanian governments.

Take Andrews Creek Primary School in Wesley Vale, for instance, with just around 140 students. That school will receive an estimated $3,255 per student in Commonwealth funding in 2018 under the Turnbull government's reforms, but that will grow to more than $4½ thousand dollars per student over the period to 2027—a $1,400 increase per student over that time. (Time expired)