Kimberley Kitching (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I asked a question of the Attorney about the new Gonski 2.0. Like most of the government's policies, there is nothing original and everything is tired. What a tired and weary government it is. When the Prime Minister and education minister announce one thing and the Deputy Prime Minister and Assistant Treasurer say another, Australian parents, teachers and principals are rightly concerned.

There is a little bit of circus in this. Who would not want to sit back with popcorn and watch the coalition party room, with all of its multiple divisions once again renting the air? What we are seeing is something that may become known as 'government by Turnbull'—that is, secrecy and no consultation. Then comes a shock announcement driven by bureaucracy; waved through by dud, visionless ministers; signed off by a callous, clueless, incompetently led cabinet; and then a backlash from those in the real world. In this case, it is from Catholic school teachers, principals, parents and students. What follows the backlash? The backflip.

Given the cruelty and callousness of these cuts, given the grave concern that this attack on Catholic education is causing in the real world—a world that one cannot see from a $50 million Sydney harbourside mansion—and given the inevitability of backlash-backflip cycles in this bungling mess of a government, why not just get the agony and misery over and done with?

The Scripture tells us that, where there is no vision, the people perish. If you do not stand for anything you will fall for everything. Imagine the once great Liberal Party of Menzies sticking the knife into Catholic schools. Lest I tell those opposite their own history—a history for which they seem to have scant regard—in the early 1960s Menzies extended funding to Catholic schools. At the same time, a young John Howard used his leadership of the Young Liberals to support the pro-state aid, as it was termed, for Catholic schools policy of the federal Liberals. When he became Prime Minister he still believed in this policy. Imagine having a Prime Minister who believes in a policy for more than a media news cycle! Indeed, Mr Howard said at that time that it was a matter of justice that Catholic schools be supported.

There has been some discussion around the funding models. I want to point out the government's own Quality Schools, Quality Outcomes document. It is readily available on the department of education's website, but it obviously is not a very easy document for those opposite to find. That report from May last year—a whole year ago, a very long time for this government—says:

All schools need to have certainty in their funding arrangements to ensure effective planning and support for students.

In fact, the government seem to have done a complete 180 from their position on school funding last year. The report says:

For the 2018 to 2020 school years, recurrent school funding will be indexed by an education specific indexation rate of 3.56 per cent, with an allowance for changes in enrolments. This measure reflects more accurately the growth in education costs by focusing on factors specifically related to the education sector. Consequently, as a result of using this index, the Australian Government will provide an additional $1.2 billion over four years from 2017-18.

What a long time ago May 2016 was for this government.

The government are trying to sell this policy by saying that the $2 billion they have quoted is an increase from the previous figure of $1.2 billion, but the reality is that the Gonski 2.0 policy will reduce funding by $22 billion over 10 years compared to Labor's policy. After those 10 years, 85 per cent of schools will still be short of the resource standard. As the Quality Schools, Quality Outcomes report makes clear, this time last year the government had committed to fixed indexation. They made out that it was the best thing since sliced bread, but the substance of this policy only commits to fixed indexation at a rate of 3.56 per cent until 2021. After that there will be a shift to floating indexation. I will not go too far into the details of the policy, as it is available in the Quality Schools, Quality Outcomes document. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.