Labor attacks Tony Abbott's 'clever words' on school funding

TONY Abbott denies backing away from an election commitment on school funding and suggests there's confusion about what was promised.

TONY Abbott denies his government is backing away from a pre-election commitment on school funding and suggests some people may be confused about what the Coalition promised.

The government is facing a political and community backlash over its decision to shelve Labor's four-year Better Schools scheme, signed with the majority of states and territories.

Before the election, Education Minister Christopher Pyne promised voters “you'll get exactly the same amount of funding for your school” as under Labor's so-called Gonski model.

The Prime Minister today refused to repeat the promise word-for-word, but said schools will get “the same quantum of funding over the four years that they would have under Labor”.

“We are going to keep the promise that we made, not the promise that some people thought we made or the promise that some people would like us to make, we are going to keep the promise that we actually made,” Mr Abbott told the Ten Network.

Opposition education spokeswoman Kate Ellis dismissed Mr Abbott's “clever words” and said there is no way the government can justify its move.

“A promise is a promise,” she told the Ten Network.

“They were very specific in their words before the election ... a promise they have now walked away from.”

The Coalition will fund schools as planned for 2014 before introducing a new scheme from 2015 which Mr Pyne is yet to outline in detail.

State and territory education ministers on Friday said school funding arrangements were in chaos and accused Mr Pyne of singling out government schools to bear the brunt of any expenditure cuts.

“The government is clearly determined to break their word that's what's happening,” Labor senator Penny Wong told ABC TV.

“They aren't the government they said they'd be before the election.”

Ms Ellis said teachers and parents across Australia have a right to be angry about the government's decision and didn't rule out backing industrial action.

“I would certainly support ... us fighting to make sure these huge and important reforms are not tossed aside,” she said.