Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

This is the minister's own department. This is what the department said: 'In 2018 the government sector, government schools, will lose $8 million, the Catholic sector will lose $2 million, and the independent sector will lose $2 million. That is a decrease of $12 million. The minister here would not even confirm his own department's advice—the response to a question on notice. That is how much the minister is evading answering any direct questions. This is very important. Back home in Tasmania, disability loading has been a matter of intense interest over the last few days. People in Tasmania know, parents know, the advocacy networks know that this government is cutting $12 million in 2018 alone from disability loading. If you want to sign up for that, well and good. But this is what is really happening, and you need to understand what is really happening.

Last night, on ABC TV news in Tasmania, Ms Kirsten Desmond, the spokesperson for the Tasmanian Disability Education Reform Lobby, said: 'There should not be one Tasmanian senator who votes for this in its current form, because what they are voting for this funding being stripped out of schools for students with a disability.' Ms Desmond, like so many others, is appalled that this government, this minister, is reducing funding to students in Tasmania with a disability by $12 million in 2018 alone—and this from a minister and a government who pretend to support a needs based funding model. They are being very hypocritical in the position they have taken. Make no mistake, this is a massive cut for students in need in Tasmania.

The minister, in his answers to questions on notice, would not even confirm his own departments figures. I say to the crossbench and the Greens—I am not quite sure what they are doing—that they should have a look at the department's responses, have a look at the answers. They are different from what the minister is telling you. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.