Daniel Andrews accuses federal government of ‘coercion’ over Gonski 2.0

Daniel Andrews has accusing the federal government of using “coercion” to limit state government independence.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews: “This outrageous action puts funding for every Victorian student at risk”. Picture: AAP

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has lashed out at Malcolm Turnbull’s Gonski 2.0 school funding model, accusing the federal government of using “coercion” to limit state government independence.

The Australian has obtained a letter Mr Andrews wrote to the Prime Minister which accused the federal government of putting funding of Victorian students at risk.

Mr Andrews savaged Mr Turnbull for reneging on the old Gonski deal while threatening to cut school funding if states don’t agree to the new model.

“The recent agreements to the Australian Education Act in 2013 provide that unless Victoria signs up to an interim agreement schools — both government and non-government — will lose base funding in 2018,” Mr Andrews wrote.

“This is coercion that is not in the spirit of relationships between federal and state governments in the past.

“This outrageous action puts funding for every Victorian student at risk. Base funding must be delivered to states regardless of their participation in a new agreement — just as it was delivered to states that were not party to the original Gonski agreement.”

The letter comes as Victoria’s Catholic schools have campaigned against the Turnbull government’s school funding reforms, warning students would be forced to leave the system due to higher fees.

The federal government has rejected that Catholic schools will be worse off under its legislation.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said Mr Andrews wanted a blank cheque without promising the money would be spent on schools.

“Daniel Andrews is asking for an outrageous blank cheque where he expects billions of extra dollars without even agreeing he would spend them on Victorian schools,” Senator Birmingham said.

“It is the height of hypocrisy for the Andrews Labor Government to be criticising our needs-based funding plan considering they never committed funding to the final year of the original Gonski agreements.

“Victorian Labor should be embarrassed that they invest less per student than any other state yet plead for an unaccountable special deal that is the antithesis of fair, consistent and needs-based funding.

“The previous funding arrangements Bill Shorten put in place which Daniel Andrews claims to support, saw Victorian students get, on average, around $400 less every year than if they had gone to the exact same school but in another state. It is that corruption of needs-based funding that our truly needs-based funding plan will end.”

In his letter to Mr Turnbull, Mr Andrews said the Coalition’s needs-based deal would put a “disproportionate burden” on Victorian schools.

“Not only has your government now formally reneged on its commitment to deliver the extra $17 billion in funding to states under the original Gonski agreement, but under your new legislation Victoria will only receive funding from Canberra if we agree to an unfair deal for our state,” he said.

“School funding should not be held to ransom by the Commonwealth government, nor should it be dictated by the Commonwealth government.”