School funding: Queensland refuses to sign up to any deal unless state schools get cash

QUEENSLAND is refusing to sign up to any school funding deal without more money being put on the table, after the Federal Government gave a $4.6 billion cash injection to the Catholic and independent education sectors.

QUEENSLAND is refusing to sign up to any school funding deal without more money being put on the table, after the Federal Government gave a $4.6 billion cash injection to the Catholic and independent education sectors.

Education Minister Grace Grace became the second state education minister to deliver the ultimatum, following her NSW counterpart Rob Stokes, as school funding wars threaten to erupt again.

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But Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan warned it would be a disgrace “if they used children as pawns” in the dispute.

The Morrison Government offered the $4.6 billion peace deal to the Catholic and independent sectors on Thursday, including a $1.2 billion fund for rural, remote and drought affected non-government schools to keep fees low.

State and territory governments have yet to sign up to the $6.4 billion in additional recurrent public school funding offered by the Federal Government under its Gonski 2.0 needs-based model.

Ms Grace said she would continue to hold out unless Queensland state schools were offered the equivalent funding increase given to Catholic and independent schools.

She said the $1.2 billion fund for non-government schools in drought affected areas should also be made available for state schools.

“We will not sign up to any agreement until this inequity is addressed because we want a fair deal for all Queensland students. This funding mess is far from resolved,” she said.

Mr Tehan said funding for Catholic and independent sectors was paid via the states.

“If the state education ministers refuse to sign up to bilateral agreements they will have to explain to the parents of kids who go to these schools why they have no funding,” he said.

“It would be a disgrace if they used school kids as pawns in their funding games. Parents would be disgusted.”

It is understood the Queensland Government would not stand in the way of extra funds being offered to the Catholic and independent sectors, but is only refusing to sign the deal for state schools.

The $4.6 billion in funding is over the next 10 years for non-government schools. Queensland will receive about $680 million of this funding