Bi-partisan support for nationally consistent data collection – students with disability and learning difficulty

The Coalition today has welcomed the commitment to include students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability. State Education Ministers and the previous Federal Education Minister, Peter Garrett had already agreed to a data collection process so that future funding for students with disability can be based on each student’s level of need. Parents will be reassured to know that now both Labor and the Coalition also support this work being extended to students with a learning difficulty. At the last election, the Coalition promised to commence portable funding for students with disability or a learning difficulty based on nationally agreed definitions. We have long argued that the current funding arrangements for students with disability and learning difficulty are unfair and inequitable. If elected to Government the Coalition will continue the data collection work that has commenced, which will be used to deliver more funding for people with disability through the ‘disability loading’ in 2015. We note the Government has again advised today that there will be an interim disability loading next year, as part of the new school funding model. I very much look forward to continuing this valuable work if we are fortunate enough to be elected on September 7. 23 August 2013