John Murphy (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The O'Farrell government will cut funding for non-government schools in New South Wales by $66.7 million, or eight per cent of the 2012 total. The cut to the state's Catholic system will be $24.5 million. I report to the House that this decision is causing great unrest, dissatisfaction and action across all non-government schools in my electorate of Reid.

For the first time ever, all Catholic schools in New South Wales face a radical and immediate cut to their state recurrent grants. This unprecedented cut in state aid breaks the long-established trust of parents in continued government support for Catholic schools and comes without prior consultation or reasonable notice. It will require Catholic schools to systemically increase fees by about $100 per student and independent Catholic schools to increase fees by between $58 and $496 per student. That comes after most Catholic schools have finalised their staffing and budget decisions for 2013.

I have also been forwarded a message from Newington College, a Uniting Church non-selective school that is attended by many pupils in my electorate. The headmaster's message also points out: the lack of notice and consultation; the size of the cuts and their effects; the timing, when most schools have already committed to next year's staffing and budgets; and the contradiction to the Gonski report, which mandates increased funding for all schools. This is a massive betrayal of parents and children by the New South Wales Liberals, and Mr O'Farrell should be flogged.