Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I seek leave to table an explanatory memorandum relating to the bill.

Leave granted.

I table an explanatory memorandum and I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The speech read as follows—

The Bill proposes amendments to the Australian Education Act 2013 that will introduce a positive obligation on the federal government to increase the proportion of funding provided to government schools. The purpose of the amendments is to strengthen the onus that ensures government schools are fully funded to their minimum standard.

Specifically, the amendments:

1. redefine the Commonwealth share for a government school to twenty-five percent or higher;

2. introduce an object of the Act that 'every school-aged child in Australia has access to a fully-funded government school'; and

3. introduce an obligation on the federal Education Minister to be satisfied when determining the Commonwealth share for a government school that it is consistent with the above objective.

This is motivated by a need to fill the current funding gap between jurisdictions with respect for government schools funding. The School Resourcing Standard is an estimate of how much total funding is needed for a student to meet their minimum educational needs. Funding of the School Resourcing Standard for government schools is divided between the federal government and the state and territory governments. This is negotiated in bilateral agreements with each state and territory.

The federal government currently provides twenty percent of the total portion of the School Resourcing Standard. States and territories are responsible for providing the remaining eighty percent. However, in effect the only jurisdiction to provide the full eighty percent of funding is the Australian Capital Territory, with all remaining jurisdictions falling significantly behind in providing their share of funding.

The result of this is that the majority of public school students in Australia do not receive the entirety of the School Resourcing Standard funding that is needed to meet their minimum educational need.

I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.