Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Tyrrell for the question and for her advocacy on behalf of children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, who require assistance and support through their schooling years. The answer to the question is yes. The Labor Party has through our platform clearly outlined our position on education. We are the party that introduced needs based funding in recognition of students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, whether that be where they lived, whether they had learning disabilities, whether they came from non-English speaking backgrounds or whether they be First Nations children. We recognise that the resourcing of those schools needs to accommodate student populations. We have a long and proud history of that. I know that Minister Clare is working very hard in the next round of negotiations with states and territories about how to best meet not only the commitments we've outlined in our platform but the position that the government has taken around ensuring that the education system, mindful of the fact the states and territories have a significant role here and the independent and Catholic sectors also educate large numbers of children and young people, recognises disadvantage and that we try to structure our funding accordingly.

I also know from my previous role that education funding and how the resourcing is applied is a very contested issue. It's not easy, it's not straightforward, but we remain deeply committed to ensuring that every child, regardless of where they live, where they come from, what their parents' incomes are, get access to the best education possible in this country.