Garrett refuses to guarantee schools won’t be worse off
20 Aug 2012
Media release Just hours after claiming all schools would get more funding, Schools Minister Peter Garrett has now refused to guarantee no school will be worse off under Labor’s school funding changes, said Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education.
“In an interview on Sky News PM Agenda this afternoon, Mr Garrett was asked to guarantee no school would be worse off and refused to do so on several occasions,” Mr Pyne said.
“It seems the truth is finally out there – Mr Garrett cannot guarantee no school would be worse off under Labor’s changes confirming the fears of non-government and government schools alike,” he said.
“After cancelling their response to Gonski this week due to the revelation that modelling based on the Department of Education’s own figures showed one in three schools in Australia will lose under the Gonski changes, it is time for Mr Garrett to provide some answers.
“Mr Garrett must immediately guarantee no school will be worse off in real terms or admit that 3,254 Australian schools lose under Labor’s new funding model, including 2,330 public schools.
“Labor has Australia’s biggest hit-list of schools, across all sectors and groups.
“According to the Gonski modelling, Jewish schools will lose, Islamic schools will lose, Christian schools will lose and public schools will be smashed beyond recognition.
“It is a national disgrace that Labor would leave schools and parents in this cloud of uncertainty,” Mr Pyne said.
August 20, 2012