Migrants blamed for public schools and hospitals pressure

Migrants are being blamed for piling pressure on public schools and hospitals, as NSW Premier Chris Minns demanded more federal funding for state-run ­services.

NT Chief Minister Eva Lawler, left, federal Education Minister Jason Clare and NT Education Minister Mark Monaghan sign the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. Picture: Sierra Haigh

Migrants are being blamed for piling pressure on public schools and hospitals, as NSW Premier Chris Minns demanded more federal funding for state-run ­services.

As state governments refused to sign a national 10-year school funding and reform agreement on Wednesday, Mr Minns called for extra commonwealth spending. “At the end of the day, we take 37 per cent of inbound migrants to NSW,’’ he said.

“We’re happy to do it – we recognise that Sydney is an inter­national city – but we need the bigger, deeper pockets of the commonwealth government to provide basic services.

“We need their help when it comes to funding on education, on health, on disability funding, on reform to the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme).’’

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has given states and territories an eight-week deadline to sign off on teaching reforms and student learning targets, in return for $16bn in bonus school spending over a decade. Mr Clare said the states would have “no option’’ but to sign the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement to get extra commonwealth cash.

“It’s not about dollars, it’s about what you spend it on,’’ he said. “We’ve got to make sure we direct that money to the sort of things that are going to help kids who fall behind when they’re little to catch up, and to make sure that more kids finish school.’’

Mr Clare has promised to repeal legislation capping the commonwealth contribution to 20 per cent of running costs for public schools. He wants to lift it to 22.5 per cent – at an extra cost of $16bn over the decade.

Western Australia has accepted the offer but NSW, Victorian, Queensland and South Australian are refusing to endorse reforms until the commonwealth doubles its offer to cover 25 per cent of schooling costs.

The Northern Territory signed a special deal on Wednesday after the federal government increased its funding by $738m over 10 years.

The commonwealth share of spending on NT schools will be lifted to 25 per cent next year, rising to 40 per cent by 2029, to ­tackle disadvantage in remote Aboriginal communities.

The NT government has also granted teachers a 13 per cent pay rise over three years. The funding deal requires the NT to meet higher targets for literacy, numeracy, school attendance and Year 12 completion rates. The NT will also be required to build state-run boarding schools, or else subsidise the cost of boarding school fees for remote students.

NT Education Minister Mark Monaghan said the commonwealth cash would make a “huge and immediate difference in our schools … It means our students will have more experienced teachers in front of them, (with) additional one-on-one sessions for children falling behind so they catch up and keep up”.

“It means students, especially our remotes, will be able to access more wellbeing professionals like psychologists, speech pathologists and social workers so they are supported throughout their learning,’’ he said.

Centre for Independent Studies education policy program director Glenn Fahey hailed the federal government’s “better targets, testing and teaching’’.

“Australia’s education system needs strong targets to turn around two decades of di­s­appointing results,’’ he said.

“Rolling out phonics and early numeracy screening across the country will mean a stronger educational safety net. This bold direction is a key step in addressing Australia’s student catch-up crisis, where four out of every five children who fall behind never catch up.’’

Federal opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said Mr Clare had “delivered a funding war and no national reforms … while the government has adopted the Coalition’s call for explicit instruction and other evidence-based teaching methods, Jason Clare has failed to detail how teachers will be properly supported in the classroom’’.

“The draft agreement contains plenty of motherhood statements but says nothing about improving the national curriculum or delivering the critical reforms needed to combat classroom disruption.’’

Greens schools spokeswoman Penny Allman-Payne, a former teacher, gave Labor’s funding agreement “an F for fake’’.

“This is a plan to lock in underfunding for another decade, ensuring another entire generation of children misses out on the education they deserve,’’ she said.

“Teachers are fleeing the system, student disengagement and school refusal is rising and cashed-up private schools draw more and more kids out of the public system.’’

Save our Schools called on education ministers to “come to their senses and end the stand-off’’ over funding.