ABC News Radio

SUBJECTS: Gonski Review; Labor leadership;

E&OE………… 

Marius Benson: Christopher Pyne, the Gonski Report will be known in detail later today, but some general findings are known and David Gonski has found that the current system is actually entrenching disadvantage, that disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, Aboriginal students, are suffering greater disadvantage through the education system.  Do you agree with that finding? 

Christopher Pyne: Well, Marius, we haven’t seen the Gonski Report.  The Government has had it for three months, so we obviously haven’t had a chance to consider it at all, but we will obviously consider his findings very seriously, but we have four criteria on which we will base any response.  We want the new funding model to be needs based as is the current SES funding model.  We want it to be encouraging choice, not discouraging private investment, as in not discouraging school fees and also we want it to be based on objective data as the current model is. 

Benson: Objective data as opposed to what? 

Pyne: As opposed to what’s being proposed or leaked out in the media over the last week in the Gonski Review, which says it will be based on NAPLAN outcomes.  That’s not an objective data base.  The ABS, the Australian Bureau of Statistics data is.  That’s the current funding model.  The review suggests the new resources standard should be based on NAPLAN results.  That will not be satisfactory to the Coalition. 

Benson: The bottom line in the Gonski Report is that money is needed to improve education; five billion dollars.  Is that sort of money going to be forthcoming from the Opposition? 

Pyne: Well, the current funding model provides for indexation based on the average cost of educating a student in a government school that would lead to $4.2 billion of extra spending over the next four years in the non-government school sector that’s what they can expect from indexation from the Coalition. The Coalition has pledged to provide the current quantum of funds plus indexation- the government has only pledged to provide the current quantum of funds. That’s a $4.2 billion reduction in funds to non-government schools under Labor. The $5 billion figure that Mr Gonski is talking about is even on top of that.

Benson: So can I just clarify that net, would the Opposition increase spending on Education federally?

Pyne: We will increase spending $4.2 billion in line with indexation. The Labor Party is not committed to that; the Labor Party is removing $4.2 billion from non-government schools if they don’t index the current quantum.

Benson: The debate about the Gonski Report is a bit limited at the moment because the details won’t be known generally until later today but the other disadvantage for it is that it can barely be heard over the argument over leadership in the Labor Party but I suppose from the Oppositions side you’d be fairly gleeful about that debate in Labor circles?

Pyne: Marius I’m not gleeful at all because I think the Australian public deserve a lot better than the pantomime that this government has become. Unfortunately the only way to resolve this is not to change the Labor leadership from Gillard to Rudd or Bill Shorten or who ever else might be in the mix. The answer is to have an election and let the Australian public have an unambiguous government so that we can get on with the task of meeting the day to day challenges that people have in cost of living, job security and border security. Australians are looking for hope and reward and opportunity. They are not getting that from the Labor Party at the moment they’re getting a very bad soap opera and I think the Australian public are thoroughly sick of it. 

Benson: ABC News Radio: Christopher Pyne thank you very much.

Pyne: That’s a pleasure

ENDS