Garrett won’t reveal Labor’s indexation hit

Peter Garrett needs to immediately reveal the rate Labor intends to index school funding under the new funding model.

“Mr Garrett attacked the Coalition today for supporting the current indexation rate which has on average delivered six per cent indexation over the past decade to both government and non-government schools,” said the Shadow Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne.

“He also described this indexation formula as flawed, which is odd given it was introduced by former Education Minister Kim Beazley in the Keating Labor Government.

“If Mr Garrett thinks six per cent is too low, then we can only assume the Government intends to have higher indexation than an average of six per cent,” he said.

“The Prime Minister, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet and Finance Minister Penny Wong have all committed the Government to compensate schools for the carbon tax electricity hike with higher indexation.

“So I call on the Minister to give schools the certainty they need and immediately reveal how much Labor intends to index school funding.

“The Coalition has had the same policy since 2010 and we’ve never changed it. We’re committed to the current funding model plus indexation based on the Australian Government Recurrent cost school index. Over the past decade this has averaged six per cent.

“The schools sector understands this commitment - we are the only Party with a rock-solid promise on indexation that sees non-government school funding rise in accord with the real cost of delivering education in Government schools,” Mr Pyne said.

September 17, 2012