‘Nothing has yet been decided and no funds have been committed’
13 Apr 2012
Media release After five years of promises and a two year review, the Gillard Government has no plan for school funding beyond 2013 and no money to pay for it said Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education.
“In a speech last night, Mr Garrett very succinctly summed up the Government’s position with the words: ‘Nothing has yet been decided and no funds have been committed’,” Mr Pyne said.
“The Schools Minister now occupies the ludicrous position of being an advocate for changes that haven’t been agreed to by anyone, including - he is at pains to point out - himself.
“Adding to the madness, Mr Garrett insists he wants to legislate this year for these unconfirmed changes but has no desire to talk about how much they will cost the Federal Government or the states.
According to Gonski, the changes will cost $5 billion each year in 2009 dollars, with 70 per cent of the funding coming from state governments. The Victorian independent schools have estimated it will cost $113 billion over the life of the funding agreement once indexation is taken into account.
“The non-government sector knows that if there is no money, then there is no model. Without the additional funding, Labor’s proposed changes will negatively impact on non-government schools, forcing up the cost of living as parents pay higher school fees,” Mr Pyne said.
April 13, 2012