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

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Minister Watt. This year's NAPLAN results are the consequence of over a decade of chronic underfunding of the public education system by both Labor and Liberal governments, and Australia now has the infamy of having one of the most inequitable education systems in the OECD. Australia's NAPLAN results show us that all Australia's kids need a fully funded education, something that is currently not being offered by this Labor government despite their statements to the contrary. It is now over a decade since the Gonski review told us we have an equity problem in our schools, and this government went to the election promising that they would fully fund our public schools. Why then is this Labor government now seeking to lock public schools into another decade of underfunding?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Allman-Payne. Well, the short answer is we are not planning to lock public schools or schools in general into another decade of underfunding, quite the contrary. What we are actually putting forward is the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement with the states, which would contribute $16 billion from the federal government in additional funding for public schools.

As I reminded your colleague yesterday, the only way public schools in Australia are going to get more funding is through a Labor government. It will not happen through a Greens government. It is certainly not going to happen through a coalition government, because they will actually get less funding. What they will get from the Greens are more complaints, more memes, more rallies, more whinging but they won't get a single extra dollar. The only way they will get an extra dollar is from the Albanese Labor government, and that it is that we be doing through our Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.

Now, I think all Australians would be concerned to see some of the NAPLAN results that we have seen coming through. What these results show is that literacy and numeracy standards have remained steady, with around two-thirds of students considered to be strong or exceeding in most domains and year levels.

Like last year, this year's results show that nearly one in 10 school students need additional support to meet minimum standards in literacy and numeracy, but that's not the case across the board. Almost one in three students from poor backgrounds need additional support. One in three First Nations students, one in four students from remote locations and one in two students from very remote locations require additional support. What that shows is that the education of your parents, where you live and your background have a massive impact on your likelihood to start behind or fall behind at school.

I think it is really unfortunate that we had a decade of coalition government that did nothing about it. It's particularly shameful that the Nationals did nothing about it, because they say that they support rural and regional Australia, which we know has greater disadvantage from an education point of view, and they did nothing about it at all. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Allman-Payne, first supplementary?

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

The NAPLAN results show a stark difference between students in private and public schools; however, the main takeaway, as Minister Clare has noted, is that family income is actually now the biggest determinant of how a child performs in school. With public schools responsible for educating the vast majority of students who experience socioeconomic and educational disadvantage, how can the government justify continuing to grow the proportion of federal money spent on private schools while decreasing the proportion on public schools? (Time expired)

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Allman-Payne. I actually just made the very point that you are making in my previous answer, when I pointed out that educational disadvantage does exist even more greatly in particular parts of the community, whether it be students from poor backgrounds, First Nations students or remote location students, for example. That is exactly why we need to see more funding provided to our schools, in particular our public schools. That's exactly why the Albanese government is doing that through our Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.

I would imagine, Senator Allman-Payne and all of your colleagues—given how much you say you care about funding for public schools—that you would support our Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, which is providing $16 billion in additional funding for public schools. Or will this be another example where we see the Greens get up and lecture us about how we should do more on this or that and then not support what we're doing? On housing, you say we should do more; you vote against it. On education, you say we should do more; you're probably going to vote against it. You are total hypocrites, and we're not going to take your advice. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Allman-Payne, second supplementary?

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

ALLMAN-PAYNE () (): Teachers in Australia are overworked, are underpaid and are tied up with administrative responsibilities that keep them away from teaching, yet Minister Clare has suggested further short courses for teachers, and the School Reform Agreement proposed by Labor would require teachers to do more surveillance, more monitoring and more testing. Why won't Labor just fully fund public schools and help stop the exodus of burnt-out and undervalued teachers?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Allman-Payne. Again, we're not doing what you're suggesting. We're actually doing exactly the opposite by putting up $16 billion worth of extra funding under our Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. Senator Allman-Payne, I think last time you asked me a question like this and you took the side of teachers, I reminded you that almost my entire family are teachers and I'm well aware of the pressure that they face. I know Senator Allman-Payne is as well. I'm well aware of the pressures that they face, and that's exactly why they deserve our support. That is why they're getting the support of the Albanese government through more funding. The funding that we're providing through our Better and Fairer Schools Agreement will go towards exactly the types of things that you're talking about to ensure that teachers are paid the way they should be and are provided with the resources that they should be, and that we have additional support provided for students who do suffer from particular educational disadvantage. As I say, it's about time that you supported something positive that a Labor government is doing in areas you say you care about, rather than continuing to whinge and achieving nothing at all.