Public school students betrayed

NSW Teachers Federation 04/08/2010

Today's announcement by Prime Minister Julia Gillard that she will continue the Howard government's discredited school funding formula until 2014 makes it clear that Labor election promises on education are meaningless.

Bob Lipscombe, President of the NSW Teachers Federation said:

"Before the last Federal election and since then Ms Gillard and the Labor Party have repeatedly assured public school parents and teachers that she would continue the Howard government's funding arrangements only until the end of 2012 and that it would then, after a review, be replaced by a fairer funding system at the commencement of 2013.

"The abandonment of this commitment represents a betrayal of 750,000 public school students and their families in NSW, as well as those in public schools across the nation. It is political cowardice of the worst kind.

As a result of this decision the Labor Government's recurrent school funding arrangements will continue to be severely biased against public schools. The richest private schools will continue to receive more Federal recurrent funding than the poorest public school. Worse still, because the Howard funding arrangements have been so corrupted by political deals, 50% of private schools receive more than they are entitled to under the formula. This costs taxpayers, including those who send their children to public schools, an additional $800 million per year.

With the Opposition already committed to maintaining the discredited Howard arrangement, it is now clear that neither Labor nor the Coalition is committed to a fair go for public education."