Budget 2017: Malcolm Turnbull announces schools funding boost

MALCOLM Turnbull has said school funding will increase 75 per cent over the next decade in a major funding overhaul based on Gonski recommendations.

SCHOOL funding will increase 75 per cent over the next decade in a major funding overhaul based on the Gonski recommendations announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today.

The Prime Minister has also announced a second major report into schools funding — Gonksi 2.0 — which will be chaired by the architect of the last major report, David Gonski.

Funding will grow by $18.6 billion for Australia’s schools over the next decade, starting from 2018.

Total Commonwealth funding will go from $17.5 billion this year to $30.6 billion in 2027.

The reforms would ensure funding was “needs-based, equitable and targeted”, Mr Turnbull said.

“The time has come to bring the school funding wars to an end and to focus with renewed energy on ensuring that all our children have great schools and great teachers so that they can realise their full potential,” Mr Turnbull said.

A very happy Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announces a major school funding overhaul made in agreement with David Gonski. Picture: Kristi Miller

“This investment will set Australian children on the path to academic excellence and success in their future lives.

“It will deliver real needs based funding for children from all backgrounds in every town and every city, in every region, in every state in every classroom of our great nation.”

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the reforms would end “ancient sweetheart deals” with certain schools for the first time ever.

Under the changes, the federal government will provide 20 per cent of the schools’ resourcing standard for all government schools by 2027, up from 17 per cent currently.

For non-government schools, it will provide 80 per cent of the resourcing standard by 2027, up from 77 per cent now.

The total amount of Commonwealth funding for schools by 2027 will be $242.3 billion.

Over 10 years, 41.6 per cent of that will go to the government schools sector, reflecting the federal government’s role as the minority provider while the states take the lead.

The rest will go to the private sector.

Some schools were overfunded while others were short-changed under Labor’s “patchwork system” of 27 special deals with the states and territories after the first Gonski report, Mr Turnbull said.

David Gonski speaks to the media in Sydney after the announcement. Picture: AAP

The Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools or “Gonski 2.0” would provide advice to Government on how the extra Commonwealth funding should be used by Australian schools to improve student achievement and school performance.

Dr Ken Boston, who was also a member of the original Gonski review, would join the second report.

Speaking alongside the Prime Minister in Sydney, Mr Gonski said he was very pleased the government had adopted the recommendations for needs-based funding.

He will report to government by December.

Senator Birmingham said the Commonwealth would work with the state governments on implementing the “better fairer” funding model.

Most schools will receive a funding boost over the decade.

Sky News reports 353 schools will receive less Commonwealth funding in 2027 than in 2018 under the changes which axe so-called “sweetheart deals”.

But it’s understood only 24 schools will receive an actual reduction in per-student funding in 2018.

The government has yet to confirm which schools will have less funding.

Deputy Opposition leader and Shadow Education Minister Tanya Plibersek said the announcement was a “smoke and mirrors” effort to hide $22 billion in funding cuts from schools.

Ms Plibersek called it “an act of political bastardry” for the Prime Minister to claim he had saved needs-based funding.

“The big picture here is that in the 2014 budget Tony Abbott promised a $30 billion cut to our schools and in the 2017 budget Malcolm Turnbull wants a big pat on the back for changing that to a $22 billion cut,” she told reporters in Sydney.

“Truly, these people think we’re all idiots if these people think we’re going to swallow a $22 billion cut and be grateful for it because it’s not a $30 billion cut.”

Mr Turnbull made calls to state premiers today to brief them on the reforms, while Mr Birmingham spoke to Catholic schools.

He made the announcement at a joint press conference in Sydney with Mr Birmingham and Mr Gonski this afternoon.

It comes hot on the heels of a major announcements about higher education funding last night.

Minister Birmingham announced the government would be introducing an efficiency dividend which will effectively mean a $2.8 billion funding cut for universities.

Under the changes, students will be required to pay back loans earlier and degrees will be more expensive.

Schools are getting a massive funding boost. Picture: iStock

The new plan has angered Labor, with leader Bill Shorten tweeting that Australians will be $22bn worse off. The increase is $22 billion less than what Labor had planned to pour into schools over the next decade:

Australians will never trust the Liberals when it comes to properly funding schools. When they think they can get away with it, they’ll cut.

— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) May 2, 2017

Schools will be $22 billion worse off under Malcolm Turnbull than they would been under Labor

— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) May 2, 2017

GONSKI 2.0 PLAN FOR SCHOOLS FUNDING

* Federal funding will grow from $17.5 billion in 2017 to $22.1 billion by 2021, and $30.6 billion by 2027.

* Ends 27 different school funding agreements the coalition inherited from Labor in 2013.

* Replaces them with a single, national needs-based, sector-blind funding model that will deliver across government and non-government schools. * Additional support for students from low socio-economic backgrounds, those with a disability, who come from non-English-speaking backgrounds, smaller rural and regional remote schools.

* Transition to pay 80 per cent of the Gonski-based schooling resource standard for non-government schools — up from around 77 per cent now. * Federal contribution to government schools will increase from 17 per cent now to 20 per cent of the schooling resource standard by 2020.

* A small number of schools — about two dozen — will experience “some negative” growth in their funding.

* Businessman David Gonski, who led the 2011 review, has agreed to lead a new review and provide high-level advice to the government.

Originally published as Budget 2017: Malcolm Turnbull announces schools funding boost