Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bass for his question and note his interest in schools funding in his area. Under the Howard government, we will be investing $9.3 billion in schools across Australia this year, and that is a record level of funding. There will be $33 billion invested in Australian schools over the period 2005-08. That is a 59 per cent increase on the previous four-year funding period.

Last Tuesday in this House, the Leader of the Opposition took exception to what I said about Labor’s rehashed schools policy. He did not like it when I made reference to the fact that, under their national resource standard, what will happen is that over 350 schools and 220,000 students will have their funding frozen. After question time, the Leader of the Opposition said in this House in relation to Labor’s funding policy—and we have to listen to this carefully:

... they would be adjusted in order to ensure their real value—that would be an upward adjustment—kept pace with inflation.

Under current arrangements, every school in Australia receives a funding increase according to the average increase of the cost of sending a child to a government school. That has been running at an average of 6.4 per cent. Now, under Labor they would not be receiving their 6.4 per cent growth funding every year; each and every year under Labor there would be a 3.4 per cent cut in growth funding to schools. The Latham schools hit list is back—make no mistake. The Leader of the Opposition let the cat out of the bag. They are currently receiving 6.4 per cent. Labor have tied it to inflation. Inflation is running at three per cent. That 3.4 per cent funding hole would leave massive deficits in schools’ budgets.

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