Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 6 Hansard (18 June) . . Page.. 2068 ..

MR CORBELL

Girls Grammar will receive a total interest subsidy of $5,330,374. Canberra Boys Grammar will receive a total public subsidy just for development-capital works-of $3,434,104. The total ACT Catholic system, in comparison, will receive $2,720,753. Burgmann Anglican College will receive $1,809,821 and Radford College will receive $1,789,859.

When you take out the Catholic system, which consists of many tens of schools-27 schools, my colleague Ms Gallagher points out-which will be receiving $2 million, the four most elite schools in the territory will be receiving a total of over $10 million in capital works subsidies. That is not equitable and that is what the government is about-equity. It is about directing funding towards need. It is not about taking money out of the non-government school system. It is making sure that public money is spent where it is most needed.

Mr Speaker, it is worth pointing out at the same time how this money has been spent and how it is proposed it be spent up to 2018-19. Mr Pratt says it is about hindering the establishment of new schools. Again, he just has to look at the facts. The facts are that, of the $17,167,000, only $844,000, or less than a million dollars, will actually be spent on establishing new non-government schools. The reality is that the majority of the money is going towards extending or refurbishing existing non-government schools-$13 million on extensions and $2 million on refurbishment.

Mr Speaker, this is not, as Mr Pratt would claim, a scheme which will assist the establishment of new schools. The figures show quite the contrary. When you hear the Liberals spruik on this issue, anyone would think it was the end of non-government schooling as you know it in the ACT. Anyone would think that this measure and this alone will rip the heart out of the non-government school sector. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth.

Again, Mr Pratt only had to do the relatively easy job of flicking through the Connors report to see the figures. Let us look at ACT taxpayer funding to non-government schools. Let's look at one of the schools that Mr Pratt talked about, the Burgmann Anglican school. The ACT government pays, for every student at the Burgmann Anglican school, just over $1,000 and, for every secondary student, just under $1,500. The government already makes a significant contribution to the children who attend that specific school.

Let's not forget, Mr Speaker, the contributions that parents make, as they choose to, when they go to a non-government school and accept that there are fees associated with that school.

Most importantly, Mr Speaker, let's not forget the contribution made by the Commonwealth government. As anyone who participates in this debate needs to know, under the system of federation, since the 1960s, the majority of funding for non-government schools right around the country has come from the Commonwealth government. Let's look at some of the increases in expenditure that the Commonwealth government is proposing for non-government schools in the ACT. Let's look again at Burgmann College. Burgmann Anglican College will receive a 28 per cent increase in the per capita level of funding for every student in that college as a result of changes in the Commonwealth funding formula.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .