Federal Budget 2017: War brews over Victorian schools funding

THE Turnbull government has doubled down on its education funding plan, pitting itself against the Andrews government, which claims Victorian schools could each lose millions.

Minister for Training and Education Simon Birmingham has accused the Andrews government of hypocrisy. Picture: AAP Image/Sean Davey

THE Turnbull government has doubled down on its education funding plan, pitting itself against the Andrews government’s claims that Victorian schools could lose more than $1 million each over the next two years.

Catholic education leaders have also increased their campaign against the reforms, warning of a potential $7 billion black hole, but federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham blasted their “embarrassing” tactics.

Catholic Education Commission of Victoria executive director Stephen Elder.

The Herald Sun has obtained state government modelling that shows dozens of schools would miss out under the new deal, with specialist schools among the hardest hit.

Mr Birmingham said it was “sheer hypocrisy” from Premier Daniel Andrews, who had not made long-term funding commitments, while Canberra had offered Victorian state schools an extra $542 million over the next four years.

A list of 10 schools, which the state government says would each lose more than $1.6 million over the next two years, would get funding increases of between $2 million and $20 million under Mr Birmingham’s 10-year plan.

The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria also intensified its attack, casting doubt over Treasury growth forecasts and claiming funding to Victorian Catholic schools could be over-estimated by $700 million.

CECV executive director Stephen Elder said Treasury figures should be “taken with a grain of salt” and the possible shortfall should be “of paramount concern to all school communities”.

But Mr Birmingham hit out at Catholic education leaders for “doing their calculations on the back of an envelope”.

“People should be embarrassed to seek special treatment at the expense of other schools when we are seeking to deliver the Gonski model of fairly distributing (funding),” he said.

Amid concerns from federal Coalition backbenchers, Treasurer Scott Morrison also backed the reforms and said “special deals” for different school sectors needed to go.

“If there is another school in the same community with the same needs, I don’t understand the argument which would say that they should get less funding. Everyone should end up at the same point,” he said.

Originally published as Federal Budget 2017: War brews over Victorian schools funding