Tony Abbott’s warning about school funding changes frustrates senior coalition colleagues
EDUCATION Minister Simon Birmingham has called on Labor to stop the “needless lies” over the schools funding shake-up as Coalition MPs hit out at Tony Abbott.
Federal Budget
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EDUCATION Minister Simon Birmingham has called on Labor to “stop the scare campaign” over the Government’s planned $18.6 billion schools’ funding shake-up.
Minister Birmingham went on the offensive today, calling on Labor to stop worrying principals, teachers and parents with “needless lies” as Opposition leader Bill Shorten continued to slam the funding overhaul as a $22 billion cut to schools.
“We see again Mr Shorten is standing up at a different school this morning,” Senator Birmingham said, speaking at a press conference at an Adelaide school.
“The school he is standing up at will receive $3.5 million extra over the next 10 years,” he said.
“It is another Catholic school. Its funding will grow, just as here.
“We urge all political parties to end the squabbling, end the school funding wars, get on board with the implementation of the true, real recommendations of David Gonski.”
Mr Shorten warned today the Government’s plan would mean 22,000 less teachers in classrooms over the next 10 years and an increase in fees for parents sending their children to Catholic schools.
He claims the Government’s plan amounts to a cut to schools given Labor had pledged an extra $40 billion by 2026 ahead of the last election.
“The numbers don’t lie,” Mr Shorten said today.
“This is $22 billion less than our education [package] provided, our teachers and our schools were expecting over the next 10 years.”
He seized on former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s public criticism of the plan. saying Mr Turnbull’s “education mess” was “starting to unravel”.
“We have Tony Abbott leading an insurgency against the cuts to education.
“We even have his Deputy Prime Minister, the acting Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, trying to crab-walk away from the sudden and shock announcement of cuts to Government schools and to Catholic schools.”
‘KEEP IT IN THE PARTYROOM, TONY’
Senior Turnbull Government Ministers have hit back at Mr Abbott’s claims it will cost the coalition if school funding changes disadvantage Catholics.
Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce expressed frustration the former Prime Minister chose to publicly speak out against the funding overhaul, which will pour an extra $18.6 billion into Australian schools over the next decade.
Mr Joyce said his colleague should have kept his views for the Coalition’s regular partyroom meeting.
“He’s got a right like everybody else to stand up in the joint party room and put his views forward,” he said.
“That’s why we have a meeting once a week, you can stand up, every body gives you that right.
“There are people in the party room that will say things completely at odds with policy.
“But we believe on our side of the political fence in the liberty of the individual and their capacity to express their views.”
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Meanwhile, Former Education Minister Christopher Pyne rejected Mr Abbott’s comments yesterday that any funding changes which “relatively disadvantage” independent and Catholic schools to advantage public schools was wrong.
The former Prime Minister spoke about the importance of “a fair go” for low fee paying private schools with National Catholic Education Commission’s Tim McDonald in Perth yesterday.
“Knowing a little bit about politics I suspect that the government will decide that it’s on a loser if it does anything that looks like it’s disadvantaging Catholic schools,” Mr Pyne told the Nine Network on Friday.
Mr Pyne said it was beyond belief Catholic schools could think they were losing out when they would receive billions extra under a new funding model announced this week.
“Catholic schools are getting a billion dollar increase in spending and a 3.7 per cent rise in spending over the next 10 years so how anybody could feel they are losing when they are getting a billion dollars extra is beyond me,” he said.
‘FUNDING CLIFF’ WARNING
Catholic schools have warned of a $100 million blow to their federal funding under the Turnbull government’s education reforms that could force them to raise fees for all parents.
The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria has warned about a controversial formula at the heart of the changes that could slow the growth in funding to the sector to just 1.9 per cent after 2021, reports The Australian .
The government moved last night to counter the fears by citing Treasury forecasts that show real funding growth of 3.5 per cent every year on average over the decade to 2027.
Mr Joyce said there might be “further tweaking” based on advice from David Gonski, the head of the review that created the model to fund schools based on their need. “We never completely close our minds,” Mr Joyce said.
Victorian Liberal frontbencher and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar suggested the government would have to modify its plans to ensure schools were satisfied.
“I really expect in the weeks and months ahead that we will land at a point where the Catholic education system and the Catholic education bodies will be very satisfied with where we land,’’ Mr Sukkar said.
Shadow Minister Tanya Plibersek today said the biggest issue with the Turnbull Government’s funding plan was that it would put $22 billion less towards Australian schools than Labor’s plan.
The Opposition is continuing to call the Government’s funding overhaul a cut, despite schools receiving an extra $18.6 billion over the next decade.
Ms Plibersek said Labor was committed to its original plan.
“We will fight until the last day to see our package that would deliver $22 billion more over the decade implemented.
“And in that, we have the support of state and territory leaders who are outraged that the Years 5 and 6 of needs-based funding that they were promised, that they have signed agreements for, will not be delivered by this Government.
“We have the support of school teachers, of principals and parents around the country.”
Originally published as Tony Abbott’s warning about school funding changes frustrates senior coalition colleagues
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