Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

Family First oppose clause 22 in the following terms:

(1)    Clause 22, page 25 (lines 3 to 11), to be opposed.

This amendment looks at a national curriculum and I think most Australians would support a national curriculum. But what we are doing here is tying schools to an unseen national curriculum, which I think is a bit rich. This amendment will untie—or, to put it another way, split the bill so that $28 billion of funding proceeds without forcing schools into a national curriculum that they have not seen. There is big concern out there. I think this is a common-sense amendment. I acknowledge that it is also the same as the opposition’s amendment, which is to follow. I commend this amendment to the House which will ensure that schools are not forced into an unseen national curriculum.