Teachers, parents and MPs push for Gonski school funding to continue

TEACHERS, parents and local MPs rallied in support of continued Gonski funding when a giant green Gonski bus rolled into Fairfield Public School.

A giant green Gonski bus containing national union AEU members visited Fairfield Public School, pictured with MP Guy Zangari, NSW Teachers Federation president Maurie Mulheron and Hugh McDermott. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

• Schools who need Gonski funding most
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TEACHERS, parents and local MPs rallied in support of continued Gonski funding when a giant green Gonski bus rolled into Fairfield Public School yesterday.

The sea of green supporters called for the Federal Government to commit to needs-based education funding beyond 2017, amid concerns of drastic cuts.

President of the NSW Teachers Federation Maurie Mulheron, who led the three-week Gonski bus tour across Australia, was joined in Fairfield by Prospect state Labor MP Hugh McDermott and Fairfield state Labor MP Guy Zangari.

Mr Mulheron voiced fears Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Nationals Leader Barnaby Joyce would “implement savage cuts to education funding” .

“We can’t afford to allow the Turnbull Coalition Government to rip billions of dollars out of education because what is at stake is our children’s future,” Mr Mulheron said.

“We know country schools are under-resourced. If the Federal Government refuses to commit to the Gonski model, the programs and initiatives that are already making a difference to the lives of tens of thousands of children in these schools will have to be scrapped.”

NSW Teachers Federation president Maurie Mulheron addressed teachers and parents. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

The two Gonski buses embarked on the national tour on March 1, travelling across South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland. The buses will converge at Parliament House in Canberra tomorrow for a protest event.

The Gonski model was introduced in 2014 and aims to bring all schools up to a minimum educational resource standard by 2019. The ‘I Give A Gonski’ campaign reports by the end of 2017, only 36% of the funding will have been delivered to schools.