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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-06-17 Daily Xml
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National Education Reform Agreement

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Can the minister update the house on funding under the National Education Reform Agreement and its impact on South Australian schools?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:55): I thank the member for Reynell for her question. Since 2002, when we came into government, we have continually increased funding for schools in South Australia. We do this because we want our children to reach their full potential. It is why we signed up to the Gonski agreement, a signed agreement between the government of South Australia and the Australian government, an agreement that would have seen more teachers, more student support officers, and more classroom resources.

We went to the last election with a positive plan for South Australia and we promised to honour our share of the six-year Gonski agreement. Members may also remember that Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne also made a promise at the last federal election. They promised South Australian parents and schools that they were on a 'unity ticket' with Labor as far as school funding was concerned. What did we find after the federal election? Cuts to trade training centres (12 schools in South Australia will no longer get their trade training centres); cuts to the Youth Connections program (that is, funding to non-government organisations to help get kids back into school); and Gonski gutted.

Well, unlike the Abbott government, this Labor government is going to deliver on our commitment to schools. This will mean an additional $72.3 million over the next four years, increasing to nearly $230 million over the full six years of our agreement. We are honouring our commitment, not just to all state public schools but also to our Catholic and independent schools. Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne have effectively torn up our signed agreement. It was a contract with the people of South Australia, a contract with parents, and a commitment to our students. The $335 million, or $1,280 per student, committed in this contract will not be provided to South Australian schools—public, Catholic and independent—in the last two years of this six-year agreement.

We know what this means for all public schools. For example, on current enrolments in these two years, these cuts would mean Wirreanda High School in the member for Reynell's electorate will indicatively lose $1.3 million of funding, resources or support. Adelaide High School in the member for Adelaide's electorate would indicatively lose around $1.6 million in just two years. Marryatville High School in the member for Bragg's electorate would see an indicative loss of $1.57 million in federal funding, resources or support. Glenunga International High School in the member for Unley's electorate would lose around $1.9 million in federal funding, resources or support.

We also know that the result of Abbott's broken promises will entrench disadvantage in the Catholic and independent sectors. From 2018 onwards, comparative private schools in South Australia will get less federal funding than their New South Wales counterparts, for example. And where's the justification for this? Mr Pyne stated that the Liberals have a stronger emotional connection to private schools. Let me tell him: it's not going to last as they come to grips with what he has done.

We have heard murmurings that the state Liberal Party doesn't support some of the education cuts. I think all schools and parents are keen to know what cuts they don't support. Have the members for Adelaide, Bragg and Unley written to Christopher Pyne, for example? The federal Liberal government has broken its promises: we are keeping ours.

The SPEAKER: Alas, the minister's time has expired. Supplementary from the member for Unley.

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