NT Labor government defend using education dollars on back to school vouchers

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The Territory Government has been accused of election-year pork-barrelling after it emerged it bankrolled changes to the back to school voucher scheme out of the existing Education Department budget.

The Opposition Country Liberal Party said while supporting cost of living measures, the government’s election year cash splash was “desperate” and “irresponsible”.

It accused the government of robbing Peter to pay Paul by diving into its budget bottom line to win votes.

The government announced on January 13 it had boosted the so-called back to school payment scheme from $150 to $200 for the 2024 school year.

Education Minister Mark Monaghan. Picture: Sierra Haigh

But Education Minister Mark Monaghan conceded last week the additional $2.06m had come from existing Education Department resources.

The media release that accompanied the announcement made no mention the money was from existing departmental budgets.

The Territory Government has been under fire for underspending on education.

The Australian newspaper trawled through My School data and identified that in 2021, some NT schools, mostly in remote regions, received only 30 per cent of their allocated income and 34 of the Territory’s 151 public schools received just half of their allocated money.

The Australian also identified the gap between the allocated combined budgets for Palmerston College, Taminmin College and Katherine High School was almost $30m below their allocated budgets.

CLP education spokeswoman Jo Hersey said the vouchers were an example of the government spending other people’s money to win votes.

“Labor’s economic mismanagement under Eva Lawler means every announcement is simply robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Ms Hersey said.

“Cost of living relief is needed due to Labor’s weak economy but a one hit cash splash for a headline taken straight from the Education budget’s bottom line show’s a desperate Government not a responsible one.

“The Chief Minister claims a deep understanding of education while presiding over rapidly declining results and attendance, her report card speaks for itself.”

Mr Monaghan defended the additional spending, which took the total bill for the back to school vouchers in 2024 from $6.1m to $8.16m, before claiming credit for additional spending on remote Central Australian schools allocated in May 2023 – months before he became Education Minister.

“As an educator of over two decades working in some of the most remote parts of the Territory, I deeply understand the need for additional funding, in particular needs-based funding,” he said.

“As such the NT Education budget has already seen an increase in 2023-24 by $40.4 million, and it will continue to increase as we strive towards full funding for all students across the Northern Territory.

“The Territory Labor Government invested a record $1.37 billion into NT Education, of that $8.2 million was recently allocated to ease cost of living for Territory families.”