Page 662 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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recent development surrounding the Gonski report, the government needs to make sure that the interests of families, students and schools in our education system are the primary consideration.
As my motion outlines, some of the highlights found within the 41 recommendations are that the Gonski panel have recommended that the commonwealth government establish a new schooling resource standard—SRS—and have advised that it will cost the commonwealth and state and territory governments $5 billion to implement. The panel proposes a funding model where all students have access to a basic level of entitlement, with additional funds to address disadvantage. There is also the panel’s recommendation for a new independent authority to develop an annual indexation process.
What was the Gillard government’s response? Having had the benefit of several months to review this report, the Gillard government have not given families and schools any certainty whatsoever. With the exception of Monday’s assertion by schools education minister Peter Garrett that there would absolutely not be a multibillion dollar cash injection because of the report, the government have no further plans beyond negotiating with their state and territory counterparts. In addition to not committing to the costs associated with establishing the SRS and its delivery, the Gillard government have been non-committal with regard to future funding arrangements beyond 2013, maintaining indexation at current levels, and guaranteeing that school fees will not increase with changes to be implemented.
Now to Katy Gallagher’s position, our Chief Minister’s position. It is interesting to note that the Chief Minister’s response to the federal government’s position on the Gonski report has been equally ambiguous, noting that her government will need to work through the report and participate in all of the national forums. She was dutiful to say that the government will need to make sure that the ACT is not disadvantaged, yet what I found quite disconcerting—this has been confirmed by the representations I received from concerned parents—was her statement: “Then there is the issue of resourcing and what the community is prepared to pay extra into the education system to get the best students we can out of it.”
I recall that in her media release she said that her first priority is to get the best deal possible for the territory. Yet getting the community to foot the bill to what is in essence a multibillion dollar commonwealth government initiative will never be a good deal for our community. It is yet again another instance of this government not understanding the very real cost of living pressures faced by Canberra families. And now she wants them to pay extra into the education system.
How is this an equitable proposition for families already feeling the financial pinch in their daily lives? We already pay some of the highest rates, charges and taxes in the country, and the Chief Minister wants us to pay extra for our children’s education. There is no better sign of how this government is out of touch from the daily lives of Canberrans.
It was not long ago that the previous minister for education, Andrew Barr, proclaimed, “We will reserve the right to develop our own funding models for the ACT’s share of
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