Senate debates

Tuesday, 2 February 2016

Questions without Notice

Education Funding

2:44 pm

Photo of Sam DastyariSam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Training. Does the minister agree with the National Catholic Education Commission, which says that the government's school funding cuts mean—and I quote here from the National Catholic Education Commission—'fees will increase, schools could close and the quality of education will be compromised'?

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

No, because, as I outlined to the Senate previously, there is record support going to Australian schools at present—record support which will continue to grow year on year on year into the future. Those opposite can try to run scare campaigns if they want, but the facts speak for themselves: that support for schools is at record levels and growing year upon year upon year.

Those opposite also seem to ignore the fact that funding should be treated as a means to an end. They have confused funding as being the end in itself. They think that just promising funding is the answer to education challenges in Australia. But the data shows that, collectively, federal and state governments have been spending record sums on Australian schools over the years and that it has more than doubled in terms of state and federal government spending since 1988. What has happened in that time? What has happened is that Australian outcomes, in terms of literacy standards, numeracy standards and science testing have gone backwards—gone backwards in real terms and gone backwards in relative terms compared to other countries.

Photo of Jacinta CollinsJacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | | Hansard source

Yes, that's why we had Gonski. That's why we went through the Gonski review.

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

So I know Senator Collins does not understand this, but record funding going in has not provided extra beneficial outcomes. Record funding has not delivered beneficial outcomes. We have seen the system go backwards, which is why our government has sought to make sure that policy in this area focuses on how we lift the quality of teachers, on how we get parents more engaged, on how we get the national curriculum right and on how we deliver autonomy to schools so that they can make sure, for their local area, that they are able to use the dollars they have—the record funding they have—as effectively as possible for their students.

2:46 pm

Photo of Sam DastyariSam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Considering the minister has already questioned the literacy and comprehension of the National Catholic Education Commission, does the minister agree with the coalition New South Wales education minister, Mr Piccoli, who says on Labor's needs-based school funding—and I quote:

It's being spent on things we know work: quality teaching, school counsellors, speech therapists. We are giving targeted support to children in kindergarten at risk of falling behind.

2:47 pm

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

I am yet to meet a state Premier or state minister who is not happy to hear promises of more money that might go to their states, so I am not at all surprised to hear state premiers or state ministers happy to hear funding coming through, although I do note that the South Australian Premier has at least been quite honest and rational in this discussion by acknowledging and recognising that those opposite might be promising more money but, of course, as we learnt from their six years in office, they have, to use Mr Weatherill's words, no 'coherent' plan of how to actually deliver that funding in the future. As the Grattan Institute has made clear, what the Labor Party are doing through their promises—through their reckless budget promises that they are making at present—is taking a severe structural budget problem and making it even worse. Those opposite, of course, are looking at leaving a legacy of enormous debt for future generations, as they did during their six years in office and as they seem intent on doing in the future. (Time expired)

2:48 pm

Photo of Sam DastyariSam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Minister, given that the Liberals promised before the election—and I quote—an 'absolute unity ticket' with Labor on school funding, let's cut through the chase: why haven't the Liberals done what they said they would do and fund the Gonski reforms in full as promised?

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

As I outlined in answer to the first question today, to Senator Gallacher, the coalition government has had to put extra money in compared with what we found in the budget when we came to office. I am sorry if Senator Dastyari seems to think that we should have left Queensland students out of the equation, or Northern Territory students out of the equation, or Western Australian students out of the equation, but the coalition government believed we should fund all students fairly. The coalition government believed that—

Photo of Jacinta CollinsJacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | | Hansard source

And why was that, Simon? They wouldn't sign an agreement to outcomes.

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

Senator Collins seems to think that this is okay. That seems to be what her interjections are suggesting. Senator Collins seems to be suggesting that we should have left students in those states worse off, because those opposite never budgeted for it. Well, we wanted to make sure that they were cared for and that we did deliver the funding in those states, as we did in every other state. And so it was critically important that we took the decision not just to match dollar for dollar what was in the budget when we came to office but to put $1.2 billion extra in and, of course, commit to year-on-year funding growth thereafter. (Time expired)