Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

The first thing to say is that this is a truly important day for the parliament in terms of education reform. It is a day when we will see enshrined in legislation a new needs-based funding model for schools and students across Australia. In relation to the debate that we are having here, it ought to be a debate that focuses on why it was that the Gonski panel made the recommendations that they did; how the government has responded to those recommendations after significant consultation and discussion with states, territories and non-government organisations; how crucial and critical it is that we put in place these funding arrangements to meet the needs of students and schools around Australia; and how urgent it is for other states and territories to work closely with the Commonwealth as we deliver this significant reform.

In relation to the spray that we just had from the member for Sturt, I remind the member that the amendments were circulated at 1.20 yesterday afternoon. If it is the case that your internal processes are so poorly organised that they do not get a single amendment to you then I do not think that you can come in and blame us for that particular issue. That responsibility lies with your party in this parliament. It should organise itself properly. Those amendments were circulated. I want to make clear that we have also now made available draft regulations for the bill for consideration at this time as well.

But we should not be surprised by the spray from the member for Sturt, because he has sprayed from day one. Not only did he walk out 22 or 23 minutes after the Gonski panel brought down its recommendations and its findings and dismissed them out of hand but, when the New South Wales government agreed with the approach that was taken by this government to work to those recommendations to deliver a new national plan for school improvement, he then went on to say that in fact the New South Wales Premier had been conned.

The use of colourful language by the member for Sturt is recognised both here and further afield; after all, he was the one who described the goal that is set and that we have enshrined in the National Plan for School Improvement, which is to be in the top five of education nations by 2025, as mad. At no point in the debate over a period of more than 12 months has he ever participated constructively in moving this reform through the parliaments of Australia through their budgets to be delivered to the 9,350 or so schools and 3½ million students or so for whom it is intended. There has not been a single instance on the record where we have had construction engagement from the opposition on education.

The shadow minister gets up and says, 'We're trying to reach agreement.' I will remind him that we have reached agreement with New South Wales. The Liberal Premier was very clear about it: he signed up to the deal because 'it provides additional resources, fairer distribution, to deliver higher standards and better outcomes in schools across New South Wales'. That is what he said. The education minister likewise said, 'It's wrong to suggest'—as the shadow minister on a couple of occasions—'that indexation under the present model would be high.'

The fact is that the New South Wales Premier and the New South Wales education minister looked at these propositions, spent the time—as we have with other states and territories and non-government school organisations—in working through what a new funding model would look like and then committed to it. They did that because there is more money, money that is provided in the budget to deliver this reform. It does not matter how many times the shadow minister runs his lines out, either here or outside, the fact is that it is in the budget. That is the offer that is on the table from the Prime Minister. And it is a two-for-one offer for states and territories.

I say to the member that this is an important piece of legislation and that these amendments not only reflect the discussion, consultation and consideration that we have had of this issue for a considerable period of time but also finally provide for once and for all the opportunity for schools around Australia to be funded on the basis of the needs of their students, whatever school they are in, wherever they live, however much money their parents earn.

See this speech in context