Backstabbing Bill turns his axe to schools

The man who has stabbed two Australian Prime Ministers in the back will now oversee a $325 million cut to school education over the next four years, said the Shadow Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne today. “With the appointment of Bill Shorten, Labor has now had four different Education Ministers in six years, causing a great deal of uncertainty in the schools sector,” Mr Pyne said. “Backstabbing Bill takes on a proposed school funding model in disarray, ironically gaining education as a reward for switching sides and bringing down the self-described education Prime Minister, Julia Gillard,” he said. “The Auditor-General recently found that under Labor’s proposed model spending goes backwards in two of the next three years in comparison to what they could have expected under the current system. “Non-government schools lose again when the $1.2 billion cut to targeted funding is taken into account, leaving an overall $325 million cut to all schools over the forward estimates. “Labor says they have failed to 'sell' their education reforms, but the truth is people aren't buying their over the top claims when the Budget papers show cuts in the years ahead and rivers of gold off in the never never. “Parents and schools know there are no rivers of gold and this model is wrapped in red tape and new complex reporting requirements. “The best thing Backstabbing Bill could do is cut the spin and tell schools how much additional funding they can expect in the next three years,” Mr Pyne said. 1 July 2012