NSWTF: Tony Abbott’s education plan muddle

6 August 2013
By NSW Teachers Federation

Liberal candidates across western Sydney were caught out last week by the shift in Opposition leader Tony Abbott’s education plan, which will effectively strip 3 billion dollars from the Gonski deal in New South Wales.

On Thursday 1 August about 150 parents, teachers and principals from 40 public school communities across western Sydney attended the Public Schools Forum at St Mary’s RSL Club.

Having declined an offer to attend the combined forum for the Chifley, Greenway and Lindsay electorates, one of the three Liberal candidates forwarded correspondence reaffirming the Coalition’s “deep reservations” about the Gonski funding model and asserting that the Federal Budget did not “reflect the claims being made about additional funding.”

Within 24 hours of the forum, Mr Abbott shifted from threatening to delay the deal and repeal the legislation to falsely claiming that the Coalition would now match the Government’s deal, asserting that "there is no difference between Kevin Rudd and myself when it comes to school funding.”

Abbott’s attempt to neutralise the Gonski reforms as an election issue falls short of the Labor 6 year deal by over 7 billion dollars nationwide and the Coaliton candidates for Lindsay (Fiona Scott), Chifley (Isabelle White) and Greenway (Jaymes Diaz) now need to explain what this will mean for their respective electorates.

At the forum, the Labor MPs were questioned about their commitment to the Gonski reforms and their Government’s capacity to deliver on the deal. All three MPs, including the Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury, acknowledged that the existing funding model was broken and that the commitment to moving to a needs based approach was part of the considered, long term approach of their Government.

Many of the public school constituents present at the forum indicated that they were prepared to do more for the campaign and volunteered to letterbox their neighbourhoods, address parent meetings and send emails to local politicians. Many also took additional Gonski corflutes to display on school fences and in their front yards.