Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham: ’Get the facts on school funding’

FOR all the lies about ‘cuts’ to schools and political rhetoric I hear, I encourage teachers and families to get the facts for themselves, federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham writes.

Federal Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham talks about school funding. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

IN RAUCOUS school playgrounds around Australia, you’ll often hear kids shriek “that’s not fair!”.

I have been finding myself saying the exact same thing when it comes to our school funding system.

If we had left schools funding untouched as Tanya Plibersek suggested yesterday, the 27 different special deals and secret handshakes Labor put in place with states and sectors would leave inequities running rife for more than 150 years.

That is unacceptable and it’s certainly not fair.

Much like how the Turnbull Government wants to ensure we have competitive company tax rates so businesses don’t move overseas and take jobs away from Australia, we want to give this and future generations of students the opportunities they need to succeed.

For all the lies about ‘cuts’ to schools and cheap political rhetoric I hear, I encourage teachers, principals and families to get the facts for themselves.

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The Turnbull Government is increasing funding to Australian schools by $18.6 billion over the next decade. Fact.

That funding is truly needs-based, sector-blind and fair and our model has been endorsed by David Gonski. Fact.

That model of distribution will ensure all schools in every state transition to their fair share of federal funding within a decade. Fact.

Yesterday I met with state and territory education ministers to discuss future schools investment arrangements and the Turnbull Government’s plan for needs-based funding, including an extra $3.6 billion for students in New South Wales.

As well as our record spending on schools, we’ll require states and territories to stop slashing their funding for schools while the Commonwealth boosts investment and we will ensure they implement reforms in schools that are proven to boost student results.

They’re the facts and I think anyone willing to engage with an open mind will see that our plan is fair and truly delivers on the ‘Gonski’.

If you want to see how our plan will impact your school, visit education.gov.au/qualityschools

* Simon Birmingham is the federal Education and Training Minister