Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Earlier today I conducted a media conference accompanied by Mr Bill Daniels, who is the head of the association of independent schools, the national voice of independent schools in this country. I was also accompanied at the media conference by Mr Bill Griffiths, who is from the National Catholic Education Office of this country, the national voice for Catholic schools. Both Mr Bill Daniels and Mr Bill Griffiths said at that media conference to this parliament and to the Australian people that they support the national curriculum, they do not seek the deletion of the clause dealing with the national curriculum in the Schools Assistance Bill and they ask this parliament to pass the bill. I thank Bill Griffiths and Bill Daniels for appearing at that media event. I also thank them for facilitating me sending, as this parliament sits, a letter to every non-government school in the country, and that will be received by email in the next few hours. That letter from me to the non-government schools communities around the country says in part:

The Independent Schools Council of Australia and the National Catholic Education Commission have supported the bill. Unfortunately, the Senate has not passed the bill. In these circumstances the government will continue to urge the Senate to pass the bill. We will continue to do everything we can to give funding certainty and consistent accountability to non-government schools for the year ahead.

I table that letter. It may assist members of parliament, particularly members of the Liberal Party, who get phone calls from non-government schools today asking them why it is that they are holding up funding to non-government schools.

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