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

There is no reduction to public schools, but under the government's proposals there is indeed a provision contained to ensure that, as the Commonwealth provides additional funding, the states and territories do not simply take out their funding, leaving no net improvement. That is intended as an accountability mechanism to ensure the states and territories do that, noting the reality that the Commonwealth does not directly fund government schools in the Northern Territory or anywhere else around the country. So this is a provision designed to ensure that we do not give with one hand and see any state or territory government take and pocket it with the other but that actually additional funding equates to real additionality in schools.