Page 2832 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 16 August 2017
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education plan even drew praise from the then opposition leader, Tony Abbott, who proclaimed there was no difference between him and Labor when it came to school funding. Well, we all know what followed. After the 2013 election the federal Liberal government refused to honour the agreements and proposed a new round of negotiations with the states and territories. Since that time the federal Liberal government under Malcolm Turnbull has implemented yet another funding model, sometimes referred to as Gonski 2.0. That “2.0” should not be confused with being a signifier of progress.
The proposed funding model might be an improvement on the previous ghoulish policies proposed by Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne, but these reforms fall well short of what is required. That point is acknowledged by groups as diverse as the National Catholic Education Commission and the Australian Education Union, two organisations rarely on the same side of a school funding debate. When you consider the stakes, it is easy to see why there was so much agreement within the education sector. The stakes are too high when it comes to ensuring the best future for Canberra’s kids.
The Gonski review clearly articulated the benefits associated with quality education outcomes, noting that:
Individuals who reach their full potential in schooling are usually able to make better career and life choices, leading to successful and productive lives. Success in schooling also helps to provide the skills and capacities needed to keep a society strong into the future.
It deepens a country’s knowledge base and level of expertise, and increases productivity and competitiveness within the global economy.
We often consider the benefits of education in these terms: improved productivity, improved competitiveness, deepening the skill base. As policymakers, it makes sense to think of it in these terms. We need to give consideration to the impact on the economy as a whole, but we cannot lose sight of what I would say is the moral importance of an equitable school funding system—that is, simply that every child in this country deserves a fair go and every child in Canberra definitely deserves a fair go. It should not matter where you live; it should not matter what your parents do. All that should matter is your willingness and determination. That is the education system that Labor envisages.
That is why this ACT Labor government is investing an additional $210 million in our local schools, on top of the $1.2 billion that we currently deliver for schools each year. That is why we are investing $85 million to improve Canberra’s school facilities. I am excited to see that in Gungahlin we are expanding capacity for Harrison School, Gold Creek School, Neville Bonner Primary School and Palmerston District Primary School. We will invest in our local schools and we will support a fairer funding system for our schools. That is why I am proud to speak in support of this motion today, and I commend it to the chamber unamended.
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