Turnbull olive branch to Catholic leaders over education policy

Malcolm Turnbull faces a showdown with the nation’s Catholic leadership over his government’s bungled education funding policy.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Education Simon Birmingham. Picture: AAP

Malcolm Turnbull faces a showdown with the nation’s Catholic leadership over his government’s bungled education funding policy that could cost taxpayers between $2.5 billion and $3bn to fix.

The Prime Minister will meet the church’s national leadership to discuss the Coalition’s targeting of the faith and attempt to repair the political damage ahead of the federal election.

Mr Turnbull’s office has confirmed Education Minister Simon Birmingham will attend the talks.

Analysis of the Chaney review of school funding has shown the cost of fixing the policy is likely to be dramatically higher than reported last week, with the church worried that school closures are inevitable without a massive injection of funding.

The Australian reported weeks ago that the Catholic sector would need an extra $1bn over four years but this figure blows out to between $2.5bn and $3bn across the decade.

Archbishops Mark Coleridge and Anthony Fisher will attend this month’s meeting, which will also discuss the $4bn child abuse redress scheme and probably the government’s position on the seal of the confessional.

Church sources said Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne’s decision to slam the church as liars over the school funding issue continued to incense senior figures as well as Senator Birmingham’s decision to disadvantage its schools through the non-government school funding system.

It is understood the Archdiocese of Brisbane has recently discovered a budget hole of at least $40 million for its schools and that Labor leader Bill Shorten is preparing to campaign on funding in Queensland.

Mr Turnbull’s spokesman confirmed the meeting: ‘‘It’s a pre-existing meeting that will discuss a number of matters including schools funding. The Minister for Education and Training has been invited to the section of the meeting relating to schools funding.’’

Liberal elders including former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott are bemused by Senator Birmingham and Mr Pyne’s attacks on church officials and the Education Minister’s failure to listen to warnings about the existing socio-economic status score system, which was biased against the Catholic sector.

An Australian Catholic Bishops Conference spokesman said its president, Archbishop Coleridge, would attend the meeting, along with Archbishop Fisher. He did not comment further.

The Australian understands the Catholic sector wants to repair its relationship with the government but has decided to pour more resources into keeping Senator Birmingham and his department accountable for decision-making.

Coalition MPs also are railing against Senator Birmingham because of concerns that any school closures or fee rises would cause a backlash in marginal seats.

In March, Senator Birmingham accused Catholic Education Commission of Victoria executive director Stephen Elder of being open to being bought for a ``few pieces of silver’’ from Mr Shorten after the Labor leader pledged to provide extra money to Catholic schools.

This biblical reference angered many in the church and government, but it was Mr Pyne’s claims the church was lying over the funding issue that remained a white-hot topic of conversation.

Mr Pyne said last year of his constituents: “Not one of them has complained about it, so I’m not sure how significant an issue it is outside the pages of The Australian newspaper … We aren’t getting any heat in my electorate office about it at all, and I think that’s because the Catholic education system really is running a very dishonest campaign.”

On Friday, Senator Birmingham released the Chaney review that proposes using confidential family income data to create a new funding model, a plan that would lead to parents at hundreds of independent and Catholic schools facing big increases in fees.