Economy
Let’s legislate and fund Gonski this year
The need for fair and equitable investment in Australia’s education to secure a better future for all Australians is urgent, and legislation to implement the Gonski reforms must be introduced and passed this year, the Australian Greens said today.
“With the world changing so fast around us, giving our children the best possible school education is vital to making life better for all Australians,” Australian Greens leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
“We can legislate this year and find the funds quickly to implement Mr Gonski’s recommendations, and I’m ready to work constructively with the government to bring on these practical and visionary reforms.
“Gonski panel member Ken Gordon has said that, by Year Nine, the difference between the top 20% of students and the bottom 20% is equivalent to five and a half years of schooling.
“This is a staggering inequity and a clear sign that we are failing our most disadvantaged children.
“Our public education system take the lion’s share of our most disadvantaged students, including children from low-income families, Indigenous communities and remote locations, and it is critical we properly fund and support it.
“The Gonski reforms link funding to need, so that we are investing in every child’s opportunity to access high quality education in this country.
“However, the Government failed to take the opportunity presented in this year’s Budget, with the conspicuous absence of any new education funding, let alone substantial reform. That’s why I called it a Budget that was good for teeth but bad for brains.
“The $5 billion investment a year recommended by the Gonski Review would still leave us below the OECD average of public funding of schools as a percentage of GDP.
“The Greens are calling on the Government to work with us to identify and raise this revenue, especially in the light of the recent G8 communiqué recommending the abolition of fossil fuel subsidies worth around $9 billion a year.
“There can be no delay beyond 2013 – we must legislate for the Gonski reforms this year, and rule out now any extension of the current inequitable funding model beyond 2013, given the failure to address the inequity in the funding system over the last 5 years.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get the balance right on education and foster the full potential of every individual and their participation in the life of the nation. Nothing less should define Australia.”