Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Those opposite say it's ridiculous; $20 billion is not ridiculous to those families that lost the opportunity to have their kids properly educated. The most disadvantaged areas were the ones left hanging the most by those opposite. But Middle Australians were also disadvantaged because that $20 billion came out of their pockets and they lost opportunities for hardworking students across our school systems and our country. When those opposite took those billions of dollars out of schooling, what were the consequences? We saw high school completion rates decline over those 10 years. Attendance rates declined over those 10 years. We saw teacher shortages grow over those 10 years, and, of course, the gap between the rich and the poor got even bigger. Middle Australia and those already disadvantaged were the ones disadvantaged by those opposite.

The proposal that's been put forward, the arrangements that have been suggested and the discussions that have taken place across the country are to make sure that we get to 100 per cent of a fair system for everybody. The Commonwealth has offered to contribute additional school resource standard funding, but it's not a blank cheque. The Commonwealth will contribute, and the states should contribute too. We know that. That's a practical thing. That's how state and national negotiations take place, to make sure there is fully funded reform.

Great strides have been made in the endeavour to reach agreements. Western Australia, to its credit, has reached an in-principle agreement and developed a series of standards which have been agreed to by the Commonwealth. It can be done, and it is being done. It's incredibly important that we get this right across the Australian continent.

After $20 billion being taken out, it will take some time to get this back on track, but it will also take an absolute commitment to not rip money out, to not disadvantage kids, to not widen the gap between the rich and poor, to not allow a lower completion rate of high school and to not see the rate of attendance decline. We need to make sure we have meaningful education in this country which can be shared by all Australians, regardless of their financial circumstances and regardless of the personal situation they find themselves in. Part of that endeavour has been to look at the practical challenges in the Northern Territory. The government unveiled a $1 billion package to fully fund public schools by 2029 in the Northern Territory. Of course, that is critically important because it recognises the disproportionate disadvantages which there are in the Northern Territory. That deal doubled the federal government's investment.

That's not what those opposite did. They left the Northern Territory hanging, just as they left Western Australia hanging and the rest of the country hanging. When it comes to reality, not just politics, the reality is that, through 10 years of their mismanagement of education, we saw decline after decline after decline. Whatever they have to say now will just be crocodile tears. The reality is, when they had the ability to make a difference, they did nothing.

When we've been in this situation in these negotiations, we've made some very important steps forward and we will continue to make strides forward to get agreement between all territories and all states. Currently, as many would know, no public school outside the ACT is at the full and fair funding level. I say again: the Albanese government remains committed to working with states and territories to get every school to 100 per cent of its fair funding level in the next National School Reform Agreement, which is being negotiated this year.