Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Nash for her sudden interest in schools. It has been a long time since we have heard anything from the National Party on the question of schools. What we can say with confidence is that this is a government that has delivered record funding for school education, almost doubling the amount of money available for every schoolchild across the Commonwealth of Australia. We can contrast that with the cuts that are occurring by conservative state governments to education across the Commonwealth. We can also say with absolute confidence that the 2012-13 budget includes $13.9 billion for schools and youth programs and that this is a government that is maintaining a substantial commitment to the improvement of the resourcing of schooling right across Australia.

We can also be absolutely confident that the Commonwealth is funding schools on a basis of appropriate indexation. The funding is based on average government school recurrent costs, which takes into account the effects of increases in the operational costs, including such matters as electricity. So the whole premise of your question, Senator Nash, is fundamentally flawed, like your thinking on so many matters when it comes to education. It is a sad, sad day when the National Party tries to lecture this government about the value of education and tries to lecture us about supporting it.