Wilkie backs flood levy: Deal on education funding

Friday 18 February 2011
WILKIE CLAWS BACK $50M OF EDUCATION FUNDING

Andrew Wilkie, Independent Member for Denison, today announced that he will support the flood levy after pressuring the Government to restore $50 million funding for higher education.

The deal struck between Mr Wilkie and the Gillard Government means the higher education sector will not be stripped of the critical grants and awards program currently administered by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.

“My support for the flood levy has always hinged on the future of both the Solar Flagships Program, which was yesterday secured, and higher education grants and awards,” Mr Wilkie said.

“Australia’s universities are among the best in the world and we can not afford to let those standards slip.”

“I took my objections to cutting higher education funding directly to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and fought hard in the interests of university staff and students.”

The Government has agreed to restore in full the grants and awards program, to the value of $50 million over three and a half years.

The grants and awards will be administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations from 1 January 2012, but crucially against the existing ALTC criteria.

“I am pleased to make this announcement here in Hobart at the University of Tasmania which along with other Universities around the country will greatly benefit from this funding,” Mr Wilkie said.

Mr Wilkie said he remained concerned that the flood levy is motivated more by the politics of returning the budget to surplus before the next election than good financial management.

“Like many eminent economists, I would have preferred the deficit to be run out another 12 months,” Mr Wilkie said.

“However I am mindful the government would have simply cut more programs if I had voted the levy down.”