Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hanson-Young for the opportunity to make the point that the Labor Party's position on this has not been, as the government has often characterised it, just about the money. The $22 billion is a figure designed to fully implement the Gonski 1.0 process. The failure of this government to stay true to the Gonski principles is the issue here. So with this shift that other senators appear to have been prepared to accept away from the Gonski recommendations, away from a combined Commonwealth-state funding model, to a sole Commonwealth funding model—the minister's words here are 'a consistent Commonwealth funding model'—is the problem. That is the issue. Simply creating a new arbitrary percentage for state public schools, which is proposed in this amendment, is not going to remedy that problem.

So, thank you, Senator Hanson-Young, for the opportunity to highlight that our reform agenda in relation to school funding was never just about the dollars. These provisions involve a fundamental shift away from the Gonski review principles. The work that needs to have occurred with the states and territories has clearly not happened. The partnership that was envisaged with the states and territories clearly has not happened. I would just be repeating myself to highlight our scepticism that great success will occur there given the path that this government has taken. But we will not be supporting the amendments for the reasons I have already outlined.