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

The Turnbull government makes no apologies for wanting to ensure that record and growing levels of school funding are used in evidence-based ways to lift student outcomes and student performance. That is essential given the relative flatlining, and indeed decline, in some areas of performance across Australian schools over recent years. It is essential, particularly given that that has occurred in the context of increased funding growth, especially from Commonwealth governments into Australian school systems.

We want to make sure that, this time, in committing increased funding, that funding delivers results across Australian schools, which is why we are very pleased that David Gonski has agreed to do a further piece of work which will be undertaken over the duration of this year and which will receive evidence and opinions from educational experts around the country to identify how it is that our additional record growing levels of funding can most effectively be used to lift educational outcomes and achieve educational excellence. We look forward to states and territories working with us through that review process, signing on to reform agreements and being held accountable for the implementation of those reforms so that we actually do achieve the lift in student outcomes that that investment is set and meant to achieve.