Labor U-turn on education funding

LABOR is refusing to back its own higher education cuts promised to fund its Gonski reforms.

Kim Carr

LABOR is refusing to back its own higher education cuts promised to fund its Gonski reforms.

Labor announced in April it would claw back $2.8 billion from universities and students and funnel the money into its school funding reforms.

It announced discounts for upfront HECS payments would be scrapped, university grants would be slashed and scholarships converted to loans.

But the opposition's higher education spokesman Kim Carr today said Labor no longer supported the savings measures, which it had budgeted on in the pre-election fiscal outlook

He said it was "cynical" for the Coalition to go ahead with the savings when it was only committing to match Labor's Gonski funding for four years rather than six.

"(The savings) were proposed for the very specific purpose of funding Labor's $11.5 billion Better Schools Plan," he said.

"The Abbott Government has abandoned proper funding and a meaningful six year reform program."

Education Minister Christopher Pyne said it was a "deeply hypocritical move" by Labor.

"In PEFO Labor intended to go ahead with the higher cuts despite the fact that they were also ripping $1.2 billion out of their own school funding envelope as another Budget saving.," he said.

"The idea that this funding was a straight swap into schools is a complete furphy and ripping $1.2 billion out of the schools budget is the proof."

The Coalition announced yesterday it would restore the $1.2 billion to the school funding budget, ensuring no school would be worse off as a result of the commonwealth.

"Labor's actions will add to the deficit and to the national debt making their opposing the debt ceiling all the more hypocritical," Mr Pyne said.