Growing support from schools for $423 million Gonski funding boost in New England

02 Jun 2017

 

Independent and Catholic schools in the New England Electorate have warned local parents against believing the Labor party fear campaign against the Federal Coalition Government’s funding for local schools, the Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, said today.

 

The Association of Independent Schools has thrown its support behind the Government's needs-based school funding model. Locally Carinya Christian School Tamworth and Gunnedah are also in full support as the Association believes the model will provide a level playing field across all education sectors.

 

The Catholic Schools Office Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, which has schools in the New England Electorate, has also advised parents to ignore the Labor generated negative media reports about the Government’s funding model, stating in a letter that the funding reforms “will not adversely affect our schools.”

 

“It is clear by the growing support for the government’s needs-based school funding model that the Labor party’s campaign of lies and misinformation about school funding is quickly being exposed for what it is,” Mr Joyce said.

 

“The truth is that an additional $423 million will be poured into the 122 New England Electorate schools over the next 10 years, which is a massive 54.4 per cent average boost over that period.

 

“Now that the reforms have passed through the House of Representatives, we’re one step closer to realising David Gonski’s vision for true, sector-blind needs-based funding for Australia’s schools.

 

“Although it is clear what the increases will bring to Australian schools regardless of their sector, the Labor Party opposed the additional investment, effectively turning their backs on a plan endorsed by David Gonski himself.”

 

Under the Government’s needs-based funding model, Carinya Christian School in Tamworth will receive more than $16.9 million in extra funding over the next 10 years. Catholic schools located in the Upper Hunter region of the New England Electorate, St Joseph's High School at Aberdeen, St Joseph's Primary School at Merriwa and St Mary's Primary School in Scone will receive $18 million, $2 million and $5 million additional funding over the next decade.

 

“While there has been a lot of misinformation being spread by some special interest groups about our Gonski schools funding plan, families and schools can see exactly how they stand to benefit from our plan for themselves by visiting www.education.gov.au/qualityschools and clicking through to the schools funding estimator that uses official data,” Mr Joyce said.

 

For further details of the Turnbull Government’s Quality Schools reform package are available at: www.education.gov.au/qualityschools

 

 (ENDS)

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