Gonski reform spin cost us $200k

MORE than $200,000 of taxpayer funds was spent on policies and "key messages"  in  response to the Gonski school funding reforms.

MORE than $200,000 of taxpayer funds was spent by the Gillard government to come up with policies and "key messages" in formulating its response to the Gonski school funding recommendations.

Despite the fact that Schools Education Minister Peter Garrett is yet to reveal exactly how the $6.5 billion-a-year reforms are to be funded, tender documents show the government spent $107,250 on "quantitative research to inform the government's response" and $98,340 on market messaging to the public.

One tender lists "research into target audience awareness and key messages for the Australian government's response to the Review of Funding for Schooling".

The Education Department has refused to release any more detailed information on the work, conducted in the second half of last year, saying it was "standard practice for many important government policies and initiatives".

Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said it would be hard for the public to trust Labor on education.

"After almost six years in government for Labor to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on market research to find out what people want in education reveals how hollow their education credentials are," he said.

The tender details came as Mr Garrett joined about 60 teachers, principals and parents outside the Sydney office of NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell to demand the state government commit to funding the Gonski reforms.

As part of the Australian Education Union's "I give a Gonski" campaign, protesters arrived yesterday morning in a green wrapped bus.

They were greeted by Mr Garrett who warned that students nationally would be worse off by $5.4bn if the reforms were derailed because state governments won't agree to pay their fair share.

He said the federal government would not make a dollar-figure commitment until it was sure the states would support the Gonski funding model.

"The commonwealth will not be publicly delivering a funding offer until such time as we are certain the state and non-government sectors are on the reform road with us on those agreed components of reform," Mr Garrett said.

"It is not a question of a lack of commitment on the part of this government but the states have to be clear about their commitment to reform."

But NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli hit back at Mr Garrett, accusing him of politicising a reform process that is being delayed by federal inaction.