Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) supports all schools, regardless of sector, and affirms its commitment to giving all Australian children a world class education regardless of whether they attend government, independent or Catholic schools;

(2) recognises the vital contribution of independent, Catholic and other non-government schools to our education system, including through low-fee schools, regional and remote schools, special assistance schools, faith-based schools, boarding schools and schools supporting students with disability;

(3) affirms that parents, not governments, know what is best for their children and acknowledges that parents choose schools because of the quality, values, opportunity, safety, and the individual needs of their children;

(4) acknowledges that families make significant financial sacrifices to choose the school that is right for them, and affirms that these choices should be supported;

(5) rejects divisive rhetoric that paints families who choose non-government schools as part of a privileged elite;

(6) further affirms that Government funding is about funding for students, not institutions or sectors;

(7) further recognises that Commonwealth school education programs should be sector-neutral and needs-based, rather than being restricted or designed around school sector;

(8) notes the importance of funding certainty for schools and families, including beyond the expiry of the Choice and Affordability Fund in 2029, which supports non-government schools including independent and Catholic schools;

(9) further rejects attempts to target non-government schools through special taxes and policy changes, and calls on the Victorian State Government in particular to wind back its divisive and damaging policies which are hurting families who choose non-government schools for their children; and

(10) calls on the Government to:

(a) ensure any future school funding arrangements support:

(i) parent choice;

(ii) affordability;

(iii) regional and remote provision;

(iv) students with disability;

(v) special assistance schools; and

(vi) schools serving disadvantaged communities;

(b) protect parent choice;

(c) treat students fairly; and

(d) ensure school funding policy caters to the full diversity of schools that parents choose for their children.

Let me start with a simple statement of principle. School education is about children, not schools. On this side of the chamber, we believe that all Australian children deserve a world-class education. I don't care whether that's in a government school, a Catholic school or an independent school. Australian children deserve a world-class education. Let me say to every Australian schoolchild's parent that, regardless of the school your child goes to, Australian parents deserve support from the federal government. School funding is parents' money. It's money parents pay as taxpayers, and it should be used to support parents' choices about the way Australian parents choose to educate their children. School funding is about funding the education of all children, not particular sectors or institutions.

We on this side of the chamber know that parents, not governments, know what's best for their children. We know parents choose from a range of different options for their children: single sex or coeducational schools; comprehensive, selective or specialist schools; distance or flexible schooling; and government, non-government or faith based schooling. We know that parents choose schools for a whole range of reasons: where they live, the opportunities in their area, the individual child's needs, classroom safety and discipline, and religious faith or values. Education policy should be about those choices. In my electorate of Berowra, 45 government schools educate nearly 21,000 students, 18 independent schools educate nearly 14,000 students, and eight Catholic schools educate nearly 4,000 students. Parents are making a variety of choices.

Let me say something more about the choices that Australian parents have been making nationally. In 1977 just 4.3 per cent of Australian students were enrolled in an independent school. By 1996 that number was at 9.73 per cent, in 2006 it was at 13.9 per cent, by 2016 it was 14.46 per cent, and today it is 17.2 per cent. In fact, in the last 50 years the proportion of students educated in independent schools has increased almost every year. Catholic schools have consistently made up around 20 per cent of the sector at least since 1985. In the last 50 years, regardless of which side of politics was in power, every year more Australian parents chose to send their kids to independent schools. Why? The story in our national data is that families are making deliberate choices around the way they educate their children. Choice is a good thing, and what these figures show is that parents will make financial sacrifices to choose the schooling option that is right for their family. Again, those choices deserve our support.

Let me say something particularly about religious schools. I think religious schools matter to Australia, and they're important to Australians. They're important to the families they serve, to the communities they build to the country we want to be, to the moral conscience of the nation and to the coalition. Unlike Labor, we don't think that families who choose independent schools are part of a privileged or wealthy elite. Independent schools deserve praise for educating 22,538 Aboriginal students, 187,300 students with a disability and keeping fees across the sector on average at $6,060 a year. Unlike Labor and the chattering classes on the Left, we know that religious schools are not cloistered enclaves, and I know that from a personal experience. Unlike Labor, we will not indulge the fantasies of the Law Reform Commission and its attempts to eat away at the fundamental character of religious schools. Unlike Labor, we will never devise hit lists which seek to diminish non-government school funding on the basis of the politics of envy. Unlike Victorian Labor, we will never put a special tax on families sending their children to non-government schools to pay for Labor's out-of-control spending. Unlike the Minister for Education, I won't tell you I want one particular type of school to be parents' first choice. Instead, I want parents to have the widest choice possible. I want great government schools, great Catholic schools and great independent schools, and I want whatever choice those families make to be a good choice.

In this debate, you're going to hear from a range of Labor speakers. They'll trot out their tired old talking points that suffer from a truth deficit. I want to save you some trouble. First, they'll tell a tall story about the coalition cutting education when we were last in office. ABC Fact Check has debunked this myth on multiple occasions. Second, they'll say they've put every school on a path to full and fair funding. That wasn't true when they announced it, as they missed two of the six states, and it's not true today. There is still no funding agreement to lift the funding of Victorian public schools. Third, they'll say that they're committed to education for all, but their record says otherwise. This budget shows a planned termination of the choice and affordability funding that supports parents who choose non-government schools. The truth is that only the coalition will stand up for the rights of all parents and all families.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Zhi Soon (Banks, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Education is a strong passion of mine, and I have the privilege to be a member of the House Standing Committee on Education. This motion gives me another opportunity to talk about how transformational this government's education agenda is for our country and our young people. With this Labor government, Australians know that our schools are on the receiving end of the biggest investment by a federal government ever, making sure that every student across the public, independent and Catholic sectors get to attend a fully funded school. The implementation of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement will deliver $20 billion in funding over the next 10 years and an extra $50 billion in the decade after that as this government works in partnership with the states and territories. As the education minister is always keen to point out, this funding isn't 'no strings attached'. It's tied to real reforms that will improve the quality of education in this country and make sure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

In my electorate of Banks, our local schools have been benefiting from significant increases in recurrent federal government funding since Labor came into government in 2022. Many schools have seen their per-student funding grow by more than 20 per cent, including standouts such as East Hills Public School and Peakhurst Public School, which have grown by 30 per cent and 26 per cent respectively. In total, the funding increases for schools in Banks total $16 million across government and non-government schools, and these numbers are only going to improve as we continue to implement our education agenda.

The member for Berowra's motion calls for funding arrangements that support choice, affordability and fairness and provide opportunities to every student. While I have a lot of respect for the member, I have to say the arrangement he's looking for is in fact the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. Parents shouldn't have to feel that, in order to ensure a high-quality education for their children, they have to go to a fee-paying school and potentially take on financial hardship to do so. We give parents choice by making sure that every school has the resources they need, ensuring that they can choose the best school for their children and their families without funding levels as a consideration. This is what this agreement delivers.

I want to note that implicit in the motion the member for Berowra has moved is the suggestion that we couldn't implement a school funding plan that delivers for one set of schools without taking from another. There are many great Catholic and independent schools in my electorate of Banks. Indeed, I was able to welcome students from De La Salle College in Revesby Heights to parliament just a few weeks ago. They were fantastic, asking intuitive and curious questions about our democracy and what we do in this building. Indeed, many of these schools are a demonstration of what is possible when schools are fully funded.

This Labor government, unlike some in this place, doesn't think that turning school funding into a zero-sum game between the government and non-government sector is something it should be doing. Nor do we believe in taking sides between different groups of parents. Instead, we are extending opportunity to every student in every classroom in every school across this country.

Importantly, we're cleaning up the mess that the Liberals left behind. Given the motion he has moved, it may be of interest to the member for Berowra that the previous Liberal government's National School Reform Agreement had virtually no academic achievement targets and no reforms to improve outcomes for disadvantaged students, Indigenous students, students from the regions and students who couldn't meet the minimum standards.

For every dollar the coalition took out of the public school system, this government is putting more than $2 back. We are fully funding our schools and making sure that every student, no matter what school they go to, has the opportunity to succeed. I don't know about you, Deputy Speaker Haines, but, for me, this rings true for making sure that we are supporting choice, affordability and fairness, and providing the opportunity for students across our country, including my electorate of Banks, to succeed and thrive.

Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support this motion from the fine member for Berowra. At its heart, this motion's about one simple principle: every Australian child deserves access to a quality education, regardless of which school their parents choose.

Australia's education system is stronger because it is diverse. Government, Catholic and independent schools each play a vital role in supporting students, families and communities. Together, they educate millions of young Australians and provide different pathways to meet different needs. I went to a public school and a Catholic school as a primary student and to a public school and a Catholic school as a secondary student. They all had their pluses and they all gave me a diverse set of experiences. The circumstances that led to that were complicated, but I feel it gives me an ability to speak on the benefits of the diversity of all of our different types of schools.

The coalition has always believed that education funding should be about students and not sectors. That principle guided the school funding reforms we implemented in government through the schooling resource standard, ensuring funding was allocated on a needs based basis while recognising the important role played by every school sector. Now, there is misinformation out there. Some argue that governments have directed too much funding to private schools while public schools are underfunded and struggling. Some argue that government support for faith based schools is funding religion, which should be taught outside the education system. But the fact is that, on a per student basis, government schools receive substantially more public funding than non-government schools. But growing numbers of families are choosing non-government schools. And perhaps there are lessons in finding out why parents are making that choice.

Importantly, the coalition recognises that parents are best placed to decide what educational environment is right for their child; it might be different educational institutions for different kids. For some families it's going to be the local government school. For others it could be a Catholic school; an independent school; a specialist school; a boarding school, for people out in the regions; or a school with a particular faith tradition.

These choices aren't made lightly. Across regional Australia, including in my electorate, families often make significant sacrifices to send their children to a school they believe best suits their needs and aspirations. Many of these families aren't wealthy families. They're hardworking Australians who budget carefully because they value the opportunities, community and support that those schools provide. And that's why rhetoric suggesting that all parents who choose non-government schools are somehow privileged or seeking special treatment is both unfair and inaccurate. As we look to the future, school funding must remain sector neutral and needs based, and that means recognising the additional challenges faced by regional and remote students, students with a disability, special assistance schools and schools serving disadvantaged communities.

For those of us who represent the regional electorates, the challenge is particularly acute. Students outside metropolitan areas often face workforce shortages, limited subject choices and fewer educational opportunities. School funding arrangements must account for these realities and support schools that are doing the heavy lifting in regional Australia. There are great government schools in regional Australia, but the fact that there are low-cost Catholic schools and independent schools takes the pressure off those public schools.

In her annual report, the Regional Education Commissioner highlights the importance of targeted support for regional students and flexible funding approaches. She also highlights the importance of ensuring schools have adequate time and certainty to make the changes they need to make. This should not be a debate about government schools versus non-government schools. It should be a debate about how we deliver the best possible outcomes for every student.

Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. Every family deserves the freedom to choose the educational pathway that best suits their child, and the diversity and the availability of different schools, whether it be a boarding option, a faith based option, an independent option or the government option, is important in giving parents that choice. Every school that is working to provide a high-quality education deserves fair treatment under our federal funding system. For those reasons, I commend this motion to the Chamber.

Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

It is no secret that Australia has one of the finest education systems in the world. It is a system that has produced world-leading researchers, skilled tradespeople, innovators, teachers, doctors and entrepreneurs who have helped shape our nation and earned respect across the globe. That success has never been achieved by chance. It has been built through generations of investment and through governments that understood education is the foundation of opportunity, prosperity and a stronger Australia.

Labor has always believed that a world-class country deserves a world-class education system. It is a principle that has driven our reforms for decades, and it continues to guide the Albanese Labor government today. Our focus is simple: build a better and fairer education system that gives every Australian child the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or their postcode. When we came to government, one significant piece of work remained unfinished. Independent Catholic schools had reached their agreed funding arrangements, but no public school outside the Australian Capital Territory had reached full funding. That was never the vision of the Gonski reforms. As Minister Clare had said, our job was to finish Gonski. That is exactly what this government is doing.

The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement will put every public school in Australia on a path to full and fair funding. They represent the largest new Commonwealth investment in public schools ever delivered. An additional $20 billion will be invested over the next decade, with a further $50 billion flowing in the decade beyond. Funding is tied to practical reforms that are backed by evidence, including stronger literacy and numeracy checks, phonics assessments, evidence based teaching practices and targeted tutoring for students who need extra support. These are reforms designed to help students catch up when they are falling behind, keep up as they progress through school and finish their education ready for whatever path they choose.

Labor understands that a great education system depends on great teachers. No curriculum, no building and no policy can replace the difference a dedicated teacher makes in the life of a young person. That is why we are backing Australia's teachers instead of talking them down. We are investing in scholarships, expanding teacher training places, supporting graduates into the profession and reducing unnecessary workload pressures that take teachers away from the classroom. Those reforms are already making a difference. After years of declining enrolments in teaching degrees, more Australians are once again choosing teaching as a career. Teacher numbers are increasing, student-to-teacher ratios are improving, and confidence in the profession is beginning to return. That is welcome news for students, families and school communities right across Australia.

The Productivity Commission found their school reform agreement had little impact and criticised the lack of meaningful accountability and targeted reforms for students who needed the supports the most. This government has chosen a different path. We're investing in schools because we know education changes lives. We are supporting teachers because they are the people who inspire, encourage and prepare the next generation. Most importantly, we are ensuring that every child has access to the opportunities they deserve, no matter which school they attend. That is what fairness in education looks like. It's not about choosing one sector over another. It's about recognising that every Australian student deserves the chance to reach their full potential.

A world-class education system must continue to improve, continue to invest and continue to respond to the challenges facing future generations. That is exactly what the Albanese Labor government is delivering. By finishing Gonski, backing our teachers and making the largest investment in public schools in our nation's history, we are strengthening an education system that is already among the best in the world. We are building on Labor's proud legacy of reform while ensuring today's students are equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed in tomorrow's economy. That is an investment in our children. It is an investment in our communities. Above all, it is an investment in Australia's future. That is why Labor has always stood for a world-class education system. That is why we continue to invest in every and every teacher. That is why the Albanese Labor government is building a better and fairer education system for generations to come.

I want to touch on some of the comments made by earlier speakers on the other side. Everyone's very keen to put their opinions on the table in this room during this debate, but I'd encourage you, Mr Leeser, to take a walk into my schools, in my community, and see how hard it is for some of those students and some of those schools. Life is not easy and choice is not an option. The public school system is all that those children have got. We need a strong public school system to ensure that they have every opportunity to succeed in life.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind the member for Spence to use the member's correct title.

Mary Aldred (Monash, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support this motion by my friend and colleague the member for Berowra. As the daughter of a primary school teacher who did teach in some of the state's most disadvantaged schools during her career, I think my colleague's motion reflects the challenges and aspirations my mum had for her students and all teachers and parents have for young people right across our state and country.

We all aspire to have a world-class education for young people, regardless of whether they attend a government, Catholic or independent school. This debate should never be about one sector versus another. It should be about what is best for each individual child. Parents know their children better than any government ever will. They choose schools for many reasons: academic opportunity, faith, culture, values, specialist programs, disability support, safety or as the school that best meets that student's needs. Those choices deserve to be respected.

Across my electorate of Monash, we are very fortunate to have some absolutely outstanding schools across every sector. From government secondary schools to Catholic colleges, Christian schools, specialist schools and independent schools, every single one of my schools in the Monash electorate is making an important contribution to the next generation of Australians. Families in regional Australia often make significant financial and practical sacrifices to access the education they believe is right for their children. Many travel long distances, relocate closer to schools or pay school fees while managing higher costs of living and working multiple jobs. Government policy should support and enable these decisions, not make them harder. There's never been a more challenging time to be a young Australian than right now. Schools are dealing with increasing rates of anxiety, mental health challenges, bullying and pressures created by social media. Education today extends far beyond reading, writing and mathematics, and that's why student wellbeing programs are so important.

In my electorate of Monash, I want to give a shout-out to Warragul Regional College, which has operated a school chaplaincy program for more than 60 years. It's one of the longest-running programs in Victoria, and I'm very proud that it's in our local electorate. The college recently lost $80,000 in Commonwealth funding over four years, leaving the local community to raise even more money simply to maintain a service supporting around 700 students. Their chaplain, Oscar Correa, previously spent more than a decade working in prisons before dedicating himself to supporting young people. Whether it's providing a safe place to talk, running breakfast programs or simply being another trusted adult that students can turn to, chaplaincy plays an invaluable role in many school communities. Leongatha Secondary College has built a comprehensive wellbeing team, including mental health practitioners, counsellors and school nurses, alongside programs like the Resilience Project, which provides youth access clinics and mental health first aid. Different schools choose different approaches because different communities have different needs.

One of the great privileges of representing the electorate of Monash is seeing these incredible achievements happening in schools every week. I want to give a shout-out to year 9 students at Foster Secondary College who recently volunteered as umpires for the local primary school sports day. Students at Bass Coast College won silver medals at the Australian Culinary Federation's secondary schools competition. Chairo Christian School students Kiana and Mataya became state dance champions. Marist-Sion College students volunteered to deliver bread to disadvantaged families across Melbourne. I also had the pleasure of visiting Warragul and District Specialist School to present a flag and see firsthand the outstanding work done to support students with additional needs.

These achievements come from every education sector, and the coalition supports that. They demonstrate that excellence is driven by dedicated teachers, supportive families, committed school communities and students who are encouraged to reach their full potential in life. Funding schools should never become an ideological exercise. Funding should follow students. It should recognise need, provide certainty and support the diversity of schools that Australian families choose. Parents should never be made to feel guilty for making the best decision they can for their own child, and that is why I so strongly associate myself with this motion.

Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

At 8.45 every morning, two children walk into two Australian classrooms. One walks into a classroom with modern technology, specialist teachers and necessary supports for each and every student. The other walks into a classroom that has not met 100 per cent of its Schooling Resource Standard, the base amount needed to educate each student successfully. Resources are stretched thin and individualised supports are limited. The difference is the child's postcode, and this disparity is not good enough.

Education has long been at the heart of the Australian Labor Party. It was in the early seventies that the Whitlam Labor government transformed education by making university free and dramatically increased funding for public schools. It was in 2010 that the Gillard Labor government commissioned the Gonski report, and in 2013 we adopted this report. Today we are finishing Gonski, making sure that all Australian students, whether they go to a public, independent or Catholic school—and choice is really important for families across Australia—will have the choice to go to a school that is fully funded. At every step of the way, we've been guided by one simple belief: that a child's future should be decided by their ability, not by their postcode or their parents' income.

Like many others in this chamber, I've put on a public school uniform. Mine was green and white, and I was in Red House at school. But, whether we look at state governments or federal governments, properly funding our public schools has always been an issue. We went to the 2022 election committing to get every public school in Australia on a path to full and fair funding, and now we're making this happen. We've struck some really important agreements with every state and territory across the country to fix this funding problem through our Better and Fairer Schools Agreement—$20 billion for our public schools across the country over the next 10 years, the biggest new investment in public schools by the Australian government ever. This will see the Commonwealth increase its contribution to the Schooling Resource Standard to put every public school on a path to receive full funding. That's an extra $3.5 billion for Victorian public schools over the next 10 years. That's not a blank cheque. This money is tied to real reforms, the sort of reforms we need in our schools to help more kids who fall behind to catch up and to keep up, and to help more kids to finish high school. That's what we need because, in the years ahead, more jobs are going to require young people to finish high school and then go on to take on university or TAFE.

This budget is all part of our huge reforms to build a better and fairer education system, and make no mistake: full and fair funding for every Australian public school is an absolute game changer. We're a growing community in Melbourne's western suburbs, with families moving in every single day. Right now in my electorate of Gorton, for over 14,000 people aged over 15, the highest level of school completed is grade 10. For families building their homes in the western suburbs and for kids growing up in the western suburbs, we need to look after their futures.

We really do have some incredible schools in my community, where proper resourcing makes a huge difference. Last year, Albanvale Primary School was one of the top-performing NAPLAN schools in the state. Under the fantastic leadership of principal Michael Uzunovski and assistant principal Luisa Liong, this school is one of the great schools in our area. I recently visited St Padre Pio Catholic Primary School, which opened just this year in Thornhill Park under the stewardship of Principal Daniel Bermingham—a fantastic Catholic school in our local community. This is what happens when we invest in good teachers and good school infrastructure: we get great outcomes for students who are setting up their futures and getting the very best start in life.

It's thanks to the incredible dedication of our wonderful local teachers that we see our kids succeed. Teaching is the most important job in the world, and it's why we're backing them with more funding to build a strong and sustainable workforce and rolling out paid prac for teaching students and Commonwealth teaching scholarships. This is making a huge difference. Under the previous coalition government, between 2017 and 2023 the number of people starting teaching degrees dropped by 22 per cent. In the last few years it has bounced back up to 20 per cent. And just as we saw the former Liberal coalition government cut funding from Medicare, they ripped $30 billion from our public schools. They left behind a system in which non-government schools were fully funded but no public school outside the ACT was.

We are here to fix that. We are here to finish Gonski. On this side of the chamber we believe that a good education, a good school and a good teacher is transformative. Only Labor will fairly fund all public schools.

Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to support this motion on school education programs moved by my friend and colleague the member for Berowra. And I'd like to say at the outset that this motion, at its core, is about one thing. It's about trusting parents and giving every child a fair chance.

In the contributions by some of those opposite, including the member for Spence, there was an insinuation that those on this side do not support strong public school systems. I want to categorically reject that. That is not what this motion is about. For those who think it is, I suggest they read the wording of the motion again. All of us on this side of the House have a number of state schools in our electorates, and we see the issues, we see the opportunities for further funding in those state schools and we would support state schools being adequately funded. But what this motion is not—and I give credit to the member for Monash, who pointed this out—is a debate about one versus the other. It's a debate about how we can make sure all Australian students who are going to public and non-public schools are supported, and it's about supporting choice.

I speak in this place as the product of both public and private education in Australia. I also speak from the vantage point of being the federal MP of an electorate that has the second largest number of non-government schools. So this is not a distant policy debate for my community, because these schools matter and the families who choose them deserve fairness; they don't deserve judgement.

This motion is about backing every child in every school. And we absolutely reject the divisive rhetoric—and we've seen some of it today—that paints families who choose non-government schools as part of a privileged elite. That is something we totally reject, because government, Catholic, independent, faith based, regional and remote, boarding, special assistance and low-fee schools all play a pivotal role in our communities and in the education of the next generation. Parents should be trusted and supported to choose the school they want to send their children to, because, at the end of the day, parents know their kids best.

Families choose schools for a whole variety of reasons: values, safety, faith, disability support, academic needs, boarding, location, culture, discipline and opportunity. And those are deeply personal decisions. They should be respected, not judged by government. I say it is wrong to paint families who choose non-government schools as privileged elite. What some of those opposite don't understand and what they have failed to point out is the fact that it hasn't always been easy for those families to make those decisions. In many instances that choice is backed up by real sacrifice by families who have taken extra shifts, had fewer holidays, lived in smaller homes, received help from grandparents and been careful with their budgeting. So we have to be careful in this place not to mistake sacrifice for privilege, because, for most families, choosing a non-government school is not a status symbol; it's a stretch in the family budget because they believe it's the right thing for their child. That is something we should support.

I also say to those opposite that these are individuals who pay taxes. Their children are Australian school students, and they shouldn't be punished for making a lawful and legitimate choice. That's the essence of where this motion is going. A child should not be disadvantaged because their parents choose a school system outside the government system. I'd also like to touch on the point of the value of non-government schools to our schooling system more broadly. If non-government schools are made unaffordable, the pressure doesn't disappear; it falls back onto the government school system, and those opposite have admitted that that system is already under strain.

Schools need funding certainty, and that's another point that this motion goes to. I've had the opportunity to meet with many of the roughly 45 schools in my electorate, and one of the consistent messages that I get from some of the school principals is that they get funding announcements towards the end of the year, which means, when you're a non-government school and you're reliant on fees in many instances, it's very difficult for them to change the way they go about their fee structures, which practically puts them in a very disadvantaged position.

I'll finish where I started in saying that, at its heart, this motion is about trusting parents and treating every student fairly. I commend the member for Berowra for bringing this important issue to this place, but that's ultimately why this motion matters. Every parent should be supported to choose the education that's right for their child.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Every child in Australia deserves a world-class education because talent is spread evenly but opportunity is not. In Hasluck, I see the striving of our educators every week. I see it in the primary schools, like Herne Hill Primary School and in Camboon Primary School, where school communities are building confidence from the earliest years and where assemblies, flag presentations and school visits are reminders that public education is deeply connected to community pride. I see it at Arbor Grove Primary School, where civic life starts early, and at Morley Senior High School and Ellenbrook Secondary College, where Anzac commemorations teach service, sacrifice and responsibility. I see it at Aveley Secondary College, serving one of the fastest growing parts of my electorate, with young people looking to academic pathways, vocational education and the jobs of the future. I see it at Governor Stirling High School, where specialist programming in engineering, arts and media and AFL sit alongside strong vocational opportunities. And I see it at Hampton Senior High School, with specialist programs in dance, performing arts and digital technologies and support for students with autism. I see it at Ellenbrook Primary School, where the intensive English language centre is helping newly arrived children build the language skills and the confidence they need to participate fully in school life.

The same striving is there at the independent schools. At Swan Valley Anglican Community School, the new Collaboration and Creativity Centre is providing modern learning spaces for information technology, art, textiles and media and general learning, and that program was supported by a $1 million Albanese government capital grants program contribution because this government supports all endeavours that are practical, student focused and needs based. At Swan Christian College, the school life is grounded in values, service and community. I got to feel it firsthand when they visited just last week here at parliament, and the nature of their questions was telling of those values. It was a really special moment. At Indie School in Midland, a curriculum and re-engagement in education, CARE, school, young people who have not always found their place in mainstream schooling are being given another chance through flexible learning, VET pathways and individual support.

Let us be clear, Labor absolutely supports choice. We support parents, and we support students in government schools, Catholic schools, independent schools, specialist schools, special assistance schools and schools serving children with disability or disadvantage. What we reject is the Liberal Party's narrow version of choice—choice only for those who can afford it and choice only where families have the money, the transport, the time and the postcode to make choice real. That is not genuine choice. That is selective opportunity dressed up as some sort of principle.

A fair education system cannot say to one child that they get opportunity because their parents can pay and to another child that they get whatever is left over. That is not the Australian way, and it is certainly not the Labor way. That is why the Albanese government has delivered one of the most significant school funding reforms in a generation. Nationally, the Commonwealth is providing recurrent funding for every student enrolled at school—government, Catholic and independent. In 2026, that is estimated at about $33.3 billion across all sectors, and, through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, we are putting public schools across the country on a path to full and fair funding, with an estimated $16½ billion in additional Commonwealth investment over the decade.

Western Australia and the Cook Labor government is firmly at the front of that change. Our agreement has already lifted WA schools to 100 per cent of the school resourcing standard. This matters in Hasluck. It means more support for students who need help catching up. It means more early literacy and numeracy checks. It means small-group tutoring, wellbeing support, more help for teachers and better pathways into the teaching profession. It matters because public schools carry a universal obligation. They educate everyone who walks through the gate. They are there for children with disability, children learning English, children from low-income households, children in crisis, children in remote and regional communities, and children whose parents simply want a good school.

So when those opposite come in here claiming to champion choice, I say this: if you believe in choice then fund the choice that most families rely upon—the local public school. And if you believe in fairness, do not pit sectors against each other while defending a system where opportunity too often follows capacity to pay.

Now what we have is what real choice looks like and that's what fairness looks like, and that is what this government is delivering.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired.