States fear lack of co-operation over Gonski funding changes

Details about critical changes to education funding are not being passed to states, Victoria’s education minister says.

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Victoria is demanding Malcolm Turnbull and Education Minister Simon Birmingham take immediate action to show they can co-operate with state governments on the future of education funding.

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino has written to the federal government raising concerns that state education ministers are being kept in the dark about critical changes beginning next year.

The states say that months after the $23.5 billion Gonski 2.0 funding changes passed federal parliament, they are still unclear on how the reforms will work and argue Canberra is cost-shifting to the states and trying to dictate how to run state schools.

“This unfair deal, which rips off Victorian students, flies in the face of the original Gonski ­agreement and hurts our most vulnerable and disadvantaged students,’’ Mr Merlino said.

“The Turnbull government is deliberately keeping states and territories in the dark, leaving it too late in the year for us to properly examine the detail of their funding deal before we need to get 2018 budgets out to schools.”

After the Victorians raised concerns last month, Senator Birmingham replied saying he was committed to working with the states, “particularly on those elements that have direct or indirect impact on states and territories’’ and denied Canberra was cost-shifting.

“Victorian Labor should be embarrassed that they invest less per student than any other state yet plead for an unaccountable special deal that is the antithesis of fair, consistent and needs-based funding,’’ he said. “Minister Merlino may wish to keep playing politics with school funding but I invite him to instead work with us to ensure our growing funding genuinely delivers improved outcomes for students.’’

The states are concerned the Council of Australian Governments Education Council is being bypassed as the key decision-making body on funding reforms. The council meets in Adelaide today.

Mr Merlino said the council needs to approve any changes to funding regulations, agree on penalties or sanctions for those who do not play by the rules, and agree on the running of and appointments to the National Schools Resource Board.

South Australia’s education minister Susan Close also said she was saddened the federal government was holding “our schools to ransom’’ and was threatening to “pull $1.2 billion in funding if we don’t sign its new agreement’’.