Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Brandis, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. After the Abbott-Turnbull government broke its promise to match Labor's education spending dollar for dollar, and after years of delay and speculation, the Senate yesterday called on the Minister for Education and Training to finally release his plans for school funding. Schools are getting desperate. Will the Prime Minister accept yesterday's resolution of the Senate, show some leadership and make his minister finally release his plans for school funding?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much indeed, Senator Collins. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to advise the Senate about the Australian government's commitment to school funding. You asked for information; here it is.

This government is making a record overall investment of $73.9 billion in recurrent funding for schools over the next four years, 2016-17 to 2019-20. Indeed, our funding will grow each and every year from $16.1 billion in 2016 to $20.2 billion in 2020. That is an increase of more than 25 per cent in just four years. In fact, Australian government funding for schools has been increasing for several decades. Between 1987-88 and 2011-12, total public funding for schools doubled in real terms while student enrolments increased by only 18 per cent. But I am sorry to say that, while our funding has been growing, our results have been in decline. How much funding we provide is important, but what is more important is what we do with it. Funding should go where it is needed most and should be used in ways that we know will deliver results.

We know that our friends from the Australian Labor Party, like Senator Collins and her colleagues, have this faith that the more money you throw at an issue the better off you are, but we in the coalition know that what you need is outcomes, and outcomes are not measured only by the amount of money you throw at them but by the actual outcomes in which you invest. And, in the case of education, that means in particular academic standards.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Collins, a supplementary question.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why is the government so keen to hide its plans for school funding from parents, teachers and students?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Collins, I do not think you could have been listening, because I just spent the last two minutes telling you what our plans for school funding are.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can't hide this, George!

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I spent the last two minutes, so let me tell you more, Senator Collins. The budget commits $73.9 billion—I told you that before, Senator Collins—over the next four years, 2016-17 to 2019-20.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Even private schools are squawking!

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It includes an additional $1.2 billion for schools, over four years, from 2017-18, which was announced in the last budget. Between 2013-14 and 2014-15, the coalition boosted per-student funding to government schools—Senator Collins, you asked me about government schools—by 7.3 per cent.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I didn't!

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You did in your interjection. And to nongovernment schools by 5.3 per cent. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Collins, a final supplementary question.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I wish the minister would actually listen to the question and the interjections, but my supplementary question is—

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He misheard the interjection! He clearly misheard it, and the record will show it.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Collins, your question?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Will the government reverse its broken promise and match Labor's school funding dollar for dollar, as it committed, instead of trying to hide the impact of their $30 billion cuts?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Collins, firstly, your question is based on an entirely false premise—that there has been a broken promise—and, secondly, the answer to your question, 'Will the government follow dollar for dollar the Labor Party's policies?' is: we will not be imitating the Labor Party's policies, because they are bad policies. When we invest in education, just as when we invest in any other area of social spending, or indeed with any spending, we make sure that there is the money in the budget to pay for it. That is the big difference, Senator Collins—through you, Mr President—between your side of politics, who promise the world but never find the money to afford it, and our side of politics, who actually spend money that is accounted for in the budget. That is why we have been able to commit a record $73.9 billion in education funding, in schools funding, over the next four years. (Time expired)