Plibersek campaigns at Catholic primary she agreed to cut

Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek told Sky News last week the ALP was happy to go along with some of the government’s education funding changes. May 4:

David Speers: There are some 353 private schools that won’t get as much as they would have under Labor’s original agreement over the coming decade. Why did Labor promise these 353 schools so much money?

Tanya Plibersek: Well they receive a little over the schooling resource standard and what we’ve said all the way along is that if the government wants to deal with that, we’ll happily support them on that, that’s fine … so deal done on that element on it.

Yes, Labor is on a unity ticket about those 353 schools … except for St Thomas More’s Catholic primary in Canberra. Bill Shorten at the school, yesterday:

Now, this marvellous school community at St Thomas More’s, what we see is a school community of about 150 students … this school community faces every parent paying an extra $5000 per year — an extra $5000 increase in fees per year because of Mr Turnbull’s cuts.

Sky News’s Samantha Maiden on Twitter, yesterday:

@billshortenmp is speaking at one of the schools @tanya_plibersek said “deal done” to cut the funding of in @David_Speers interview? 🠼

St Thomas More’s is in trouble. Canberra Times, yesterday:

Catholic Education Office Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn released the figures on Sunday showing the ACT’s 21 Catholic primary schools would have to increase fees by at least $1000 for each child per year if the government’s school funding reshuffle proceeds. Fee hikes would reach more than $5000 for … St Thomas More’s Primary School, in Campbell …

And Tanya is right by their side. Plibersek speaking at St Thomas More’s in Canberra, yesterday:

Thank you to the staff and the students of Sir Thomas More’s Catholic school here in the ACT … Schools like this will have to increase their fees from about $3000 a year to about $8000 a year or perhaps face closure.

Plibersek washes her hands on any school funding deal with the government? Tanya on Sky News, May 4:

I can say that if we had proposed even the modest trimming that this government is proposing, we would’ve been accused of hating children and wanting to destroy their lives, but if Simon Birmingham wants to do it, we’re happy to back him to do it.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham was never really convinced … speaking in Canberra, May 4:

… the hypocrisy of the Labor Party’s position has been called out now … they go to war against alleged unfairness towards the Catholic system, only of course to then say they’ll back us in fixing part of that problem.

We thought George Brandis still had some time before the Prime Minister banished him to London. The Australian, April 27:

Malcolm Turnbull has gained more flexibility for a cabinet reshuffl­e after Alexander Downer’s tenure as high commissioner to Britain was extended … Senator Brandis has long been considered the likely replacement for Mr Downer, whose departure time has not been fixed.

But is George heading out the door quicker than we thought? The Prime Minister’s office has given up on spelling his name correctly … PMO media release, yesterday:

Senator The Hon George Branids QC.