Minister for Education Jeremy Rockliff has been caught out again misleading parliament after he promised last year that “Every single school around Tasmania will receive a 5% increase in their School Resource Package”, yet figures released by the Department of Education show that the average SRP increase this year is just 2.9% with some schools with increased enrolments actually receiving less in their SRP this year compared to last.

“Put simply, the Minister is claiming that schools have received more funding when his own department’s figures show that funding has been cut to most public schools this year compared to last,” Greens Education spokesperson Nick McKim MP said today.

“While increasing funding to non-government schools, Mr Rockliff has embarked on a savage ideological attack on public education then lied about it when challenged.”

“The Minister’s view that public schools have received an increase in funding are demonstrably false based on his department’s own figures.”

“If the Minister is really increasing funding to public schools, why are so many of them busy cutting programs and support to students?”

Despite the Minister’s promise that “Every single school around Tasmania will receive a 5% increase in their School Resource Package”, the Department’s figures show that:

• one large Hobart secondary school with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by nearly $150 000, and its staffing allocation reduced by about $200 000;
• one southern primary School with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by over $70 000, and its staffing allocation reduced by over $10 000;
• one Launceston secondary school with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by over $30 000, and its staffing allocation reduced by about $190 000;
• one southern District High School with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by over $25 000 and its staffing allocation reduced by around $30 000;
• one Launceston secondary school with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by $65 000 and its staffing allocation reduced by about $200 000;
• one Launceston primary school with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by $13 000 and its staffing allocation reduced by about $100 000;
• one north west high school with identical enrolments to last year has had its SRP reduced by over $150 000;
• one southern regional primary school with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by nearly 20 000 and its staffing allocation reduced by about $110 000;
• one north western primary school with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by nearly $25 000 and its staffing allocation reduced by about $60 000;
• one urban Hobart primary school with increased enrolments this year has had its SRP reduced by nearly $40 000 and iys staffing allocation reduced by about $10 000;
• one southern regional District school with increased enrolments has had its SRP reduced by over $80 000 and its staffing allocation reduced by about $40 000.

“And these are just some of the schools that have been ripped off by a Minister who is clearly out of his depth in the Education portfolio.”

Mr McKim laughed off the Minister’s claim in parliament today that the figures are inaccurate.

“The Minister cannot escape that truth of the matter which is that the figures provided by the department detail the money already provided by the department to schools to operate this year,” Mr McKim said.
Nick McKim MP | Greens Education spokesperson