Peter Garrett rebuts delays in reviewing Gonski education funding report

PETER Garrett has rejected claims that the federal government unnecessarily delayed the adoption of education funding reforms from the Gonski report.

Peter Garrett

PETER Garrett has rejected claims that the federal government unnecessarily delayed the adoption of the Gonski report, amid further concerns that the much-publicised reforms will not come into full effect until 2020.

It was revealed today that the Gillard government will implement a new education funding model based on the findings of the Gonski report, including a benchmark per-student cash grant to all schools, with extra loading for remote and rural schools, and for those with disadvantaged, disabled and indigenous students.

Mr Garrett, the Minister for School Education, said the government had consulted widely before settling on the reforms to education funding.

Previewing the Prime Minister's address, Mr Garrett this morning said the reforms represented a once in a generation opportunity and the government would phase in any new money in a prudent way.

"I need to make it clear that the government is proposing that there would be transition arrangements which begin in 2014. So this is not a case of delaying any potential funding model, it is a case of recognising that current funding extends to the end of 2013, and transition arrangements from 2014 are what we are contemplating in this model," Mr Garrett said.

"And remember this is a big reform. Education is a very big system, it must be done properly, it must be done in a way that allows systems to adjust over time and again Mr Gonski's panel made it specifically clear that any future funding model ought to be phased in to allow systems to adjust and to make sure that the reforms that we want to see in place are given effect to.

"People shouldn't expect that you can simply look at the report and pop up 24 hours later with a response," Mr Garrett said today.

"We have done the hard work. We have sat down with all the stake holders and we have worked through all the detail necessary."

Mr Garrett accused the opposition of failing to properly consider the report's recommendations.

"They dismissed the Gonski recommendations within half an hour," he said.

"The opposition shadow spokesman Christopher Pyne said he would repeal any legislation that is introduced and he hasn't even seen it."

Although the reforms are not scheduled to come into full effect until 2020, Mr Garrett denied that the government was postponing the introduction of the model.

Mr Garrett deferred questions about how the cost of the new model would be divided between the states and Commonwealth until an announcement from Prime Minister Julia Gillard tomorrow.

Greens Leader Christine Milne said she was really concerned by plans and urged for all new education spending to be rolled out immediately.

"Public schools need that money desperately and they need it now and the Prime Minister seems hung up on attaching this money to performance pay for teachers and also giving principals more power to hire and fire staff," Senator Milne said.

"That is not going to go down well, that is an American idea that has failed to work."

The Coalition also slammed today's reports and said the government needed to outline how it would fully pay for any new spending.

"Quite frankly I think parents will be waking up this morning reading their newspapers and wondering where is the money coming from and does Julia Gillard really expect us to believe they will deliver a promise that is three elections away," opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said.

"The government has had this report since last December. They haven't released any modelling. They haven't released any detail about funding. Parents should feel very short changed today by a government that is long on promises and short on delivery."