Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question, and I'll make two points. One is that the funding of infrastructure in public schools is conducted by state governments. What we have done through the reforms and the agreement that I signed with the New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns, is to provide an additional $4.8 billion for New South Wales public schools. What that will do as part of the programs right across the country is take the Gonski formula—the school resourcing standard that was determined in 2012—so that every single student, whether they go to a private school or a public school, will get the funding they need and deserve.

In particular, disadvantaged communities will be the big winners, because what will occur is that funding of that additional $4.8 billion overwhelmingly will go towards disadvantaged communities and towards schools where students might need the additional dollars for additional tutoring, smaller class sizes, one-on-one education or education in small groups. It also will provide for additional resources in terms of teaching. Part of the deal is funding not just for students; in addition, the state governments, including New South Wales, have agreed to lift standards. There will be a real concentration on numeracy and literacy—on those basics—which will be so important going forward.

We are really proud of the reforms that we have put in place. Capital funding remains, for public schools, the domain of state and territory governments. As the Commonwealth, we provide funding for private schools. But what this is really doing is making sure that every parent can have the confidence that their child will get the support that they need, including in the electorate of Fowler.

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