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

I think that is a carbon copy of a question that we explored in Senate estimates. There are significant changes, Senator O'Neill. You would recall that the type of red tape that was being discussed was the idea that every school in the country would have to go through a process of submitting a school improvement plan as part of the funding, a highly bureaucratic process, whereas what we are seeking to put in place here are accountability mechanisms particularly for the states and territories.

Specifically, we have been discussing accountability mechanisms that relate to their maintenance of funding and/or their growth of funding. We are also discussing accountability mechanisms so that where states and territories agree to undertake certain reforms, such as they did in response to the teacher quality review, there is some capability for the federal government of the day to ensure that those reforms are actually followed through—in that case, to lift and enhance the quality of teachers, or perhaps the application of the national curriculum in another case or, indeed, whatever else the second Gonski review may discover and that they may agree to.