Lara Giddings warned on tampering with Gonski

TASMANIAN non-government schools will campaign "hammer and tongs" against the Gonski reforms if they favour the public sector.

TASMANIAN non-government schools have warned they will campaign "hammer and tongs" against the Gonski reforms if Premier Lara Giddings secures an improved deal that favours the public sector.

Ms Giddings was yesterday standing by her refusal to sign up to Gonski unless the funding model allowed greater support for the state's most disadvantaged public schools.

Her stance had prompted the Catholic Education Office and Independent Schools Tasmania to demand she rule out amending the model and its loadings to disadvantage non-government schools.

IST executive director Tony Crehan told The Australian yesterday Ms Giddings had now given such an undertaking in writing. However, he warned against an attempt to circumvent this commitment by focusing any negotiated increase -- above the $400 million already projected for Tasmania -- disproportionately on public schools.

Tasmania's push for a better deal has been boosted by Western Australia securing an increased offer from Canberra.

Mr Crehan said it would be unacceptable for extra cash in any revised offer to Tasmania to be directed largely to public schools.

"I don't think that would be in the spirit of what we've been asking and what she has said. We expect independent schools to be treated the same," he said.

"You can't negotiate a better deal just for government schools. She is premier of the state; not premier for government schools. We would be protesting about that and going hammer and tongs."

Ms Giddings has repeatedly criticised federal Labor's "one size fits all model".

Late yesterday she said she had not changed her position and the state was "still in active discussions with the commonwealth".