Victorian Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said the federal government was proposing conditions that would burden teachers with more administrative duties and reduce their time with students,while his NSW counterpart Prue Car invoked the state’s massive GST shortfall in demanding more money.
Education Minister Jason Clare is facing a united front of state ministers demanding more public school funding.Alex Ellinghausen
NSW,Victoria,Queensland,South Australia,Tasmania and the ACT have rejected Federal Education Minister Jason Clare’s offer to increase federal funding of public schools by 2.5 per cent,instead calling for a 5 per cent rise,escalating rows that have also erupted over the and infrastructure funding.
In a stalemate before a crucial meeting in Perth on Friday,Carroll said he stood with his state colleagues across the country “to fight for a better deal that won’t leave our public school students and staff behind”.
“While the states do the heavy lifting when it comes to public schools,the Commonwealth is intent on shortchanging Australian kids,” Carroll said.
Clare has repeatedly said the new federal funding model would be tied to conditions promoting greater transparency and accountability,particularly about ensuring lagging students catch up with their classmates and finish their education.
“I want this money to glow in the dark. Unlike the last National School Reform Agreement that did nothing to drive accountability and transparency,the next agreement will,” he previously said.
However,Carroll said the proposals were “instead burdening our teachers with more reporting and less time to spend with kids”.
Before the last NSW election, to reach full funding if no agreement could be made with the federal government.
But as relations have soured with Canberra over the NSW government’s,Car said the state stood to pay the price for Commonwealth decisions.
Victorian Education Minister and Deputy Premier Ben Carroll is accusing the federal government of shortchanging students and teachers.Joe Armao
“The Commonwealth has the opportunity to either step up or risk shortchanging NSW schoolchildren,” she said.
States are responsible for 80 per cent of public school funding and the Commonwealth contributes 20 per cent. But as,98 per cent of the nation’s public schools have never reached full funding,which has triggered this year’s negotiations over how to close the gap.
Clare has offered to lift the federal share to 22.5 per cent,worth $5.74 billion over the next five years,and $16.12 billion across the decade. He said it would be the biggest boost to state schools the federal government had ever delivered.
But while and the Northern Territory have agreed – NT will get 20 per cent more money because of its disadvantage and greater funding gap – the,which would cost the Commonwealth $28.4 billion over 10 years.
Clare said he had put billions of dollars for public schools on the table.
“That money will be tied to the sorts of things that are going to help kids catch up,keep up and finish school. The states have to chip in too. That’s the deal that Western Australia and the Northern Territory have signed up to,” Clare said.
“If the Northern Territory can chip in additional money for public schools,I know other jurisdictions can too.”
But Queensland Education Minister Di Farmer said Clare’s special deal with the Northern Territory demonstrated the Commonwealth could break the long-standing funding cap.
“We stand alongside every other state,except Western Australia,that the Commonwealth should fund 25 per cent of the National School Resourcing Agreement to help fund schools at an appropriate level into the future,” Farmer said.
Echoing the stance of other state ministers,South Australian Education Minister Blair Boyer said an extra 2.5 per cent “could deliver more classroom support for those students that need it most and,in turn,lift academic results”.
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