Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) | Hansard source

I rise to speak in opposition to the disallowance motion. The Choice and Affordability Fund was announced in September 2018 as part of the government's response to the National School Resourcing Board's review of the socioeconomic status score methodology. It will provide $1.2 billion in funding over 10 years to supplement federal funding for Catholic and independent schools; support parental choice and affordability of non-government schools; and meet other government priorities, such as assisting schools in rural and regional areas and in drought affected areas.

Labor have been clear that we have serious concerns about the architecture, transparency and sustainability of the Choice and Affordability Fund. The fund makes no pretence that it is needs based, and there is no guarantee that it will go to the most disadvantaged schools and to the education of the needier students. However, with this fund, the Liberals have restored the money they ripped off Catholic and independent schools, and we welcome the restoration of that funding. But they now must do the same for the public school system. The highest priority of those opposite should be to restore the billions of dollars that they robbed from our public schools. It's quite galling to be lectured to by the Greens in this place—the same party that tried to team up with the Liberals in the past to cut some $22 billion from our public schools.

Only Labor has stood side by side with our public schools against the Liberal and National government's cuts. Supporting this disallowance motion today won't make a single public school better off. As such, Labor will oppose this motion today.