David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Birmingham. Under the Turnbull government's Quality Schools reform, how much extra funding is each school sector receiving over the forward estimates and the decade to 2027?

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

I thank Senator Fawcett for his question and, indeed, his ongoing interest in relation to the Turnbull government's record in growing investment in support of Australian schools—in support of schools, teachers and, ultimately, students to achieve their best and to have the support necessary to do so. Senator Fawcett, in terms of the growth figures that you ask for, across government schools around the country over the next four years, there'll be growth of some 6.4 per cent per student in federal funding. In total, over the four-year period, funding will grow by almost 28 per cent and, over the decade, by almost 80 per cent. In the non-government schooling sector, there will similarly be growth of around 4½ per cent per student over the next four years, or around 18 per cent over that time frame, and over the decade there will be growth of about 56 per cent. Overall, on average, the additional investment in support for students to get the learning assistance that they require is around $2,370 extra per student through that time frame. That, of course, is based on need, which is why we see faster growth in support for students with disability and faster growth for students from Indigenous backgrounds.

This all stands in stark contrast to those opposite, whose approach to school funding was not to play by need but to play by favourites instead. Their approach was to ditch the concept of needs based funding in favour of special deals, in favour of playing favourites. Now what we get from those opposite, devoid as they are of policy, is that they run around the country peddling claims of non-existent policies. Can Labor turn up in any state and say what their school-funding policy is anymore? No, they cannot. Can they turn up in any school and say how much they would provide to that school nowadays? No, they cannot. Will they provide any commitment that they won't do future special deals? No, they won't.

Senator Jacinta Collins interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left! Senator Fawcett, a supplementary question.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What has the recently released report on government services data identified regarding Commonwealth and state funding to South Australian schools?

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

The Productivity Commission's ROGS data report does, indeed, make for interesting reading in terms of state schools in our home state of South Australia, in particular. It shows that Australian government funding per student to South Australia between 2011-12 and 2015-16 grew quite strongly at around 8.1 per cent. I acknowledge that was under both a federal Labor government and a federal Liberal-National party government. However, curiously, in that same time frame state government funding declined by some 3.3 per cent. There you have a state government, the Weatherill Labor government, that spent much time wanting to talk about school funding in South Australia, yet the Productivity Commission's data shows that as federal funding increased into South Australian schools state funding was taken out. On a per-student basis, we saw federal funding grow by 8.8 per cent, yet the state ripped out 4.2 per cent per student. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fawcett, a final supplementary question.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, it's great to increase the investment, but what is the Turnbull government doing to ensure that this record and growing investment in schools actually delivers better student results?

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

The first thing we're doing, as we did in the legislation this Senate passed last year, is making sure that as federal funding grows states will no longer get away with being able to take their funding out. We're making sure that the cost shift that's happened before doesn't occur and that investment in extra support for students actually flows through as investment in extra support for students.

Secondly, we're continuing to see full implementation of our reforms around teacher quality, ensuring that primary school teachers in future have subject specialisation and ensuring that practices for admitting people into teaching through universities are stronger, clearer and based on a range of the skill sets that are necessary to succeed. We implemented our reforms to the national curriculum, and we're now working with David Gonski and a panel of skilled educators to identify the next wave of reforms that we want states and territories to work with us on to ensure quality learning outcomes in schools and that the record growing investment we're making gets the best results for Australian school students.