Rudd’s false claims on education – Brisbane

At Nyanda State School today Kevin Rudd added to the falsehoods he has been peddling since the start of the campaign with another bluff and bluster performance. “Kevin Rudd likes to think he’s ‘King of the Kids’ – but from his performance this morning, he’s King of the Fibs,” Christopher Pyne said. Kevin Rudd is spreading fear and falsehoods about the Coalition’s plans for schools and education to cover for his appalling record of broken promises and failure. Every single school in Australia will receive exactly the same Commonwealth funding over the next four years whether there is a Liberal or Labor Government after September 7. Labor’s campaign is a deception because they are claiming money that does not exist. It is not in the Budget. It's off in the never never, some six years away. Labor can’t have it both ways – either funding that falls outside the Budget is counted, or it isn’t. If elected the Coalition will stop the Canberra School Takeover ensuring the states and sector run their own schools. We will focus on reforms for better teachers, better teaching, higher academic standards, more community engagement, and more principal autonomy. Australians know not to trust Labor on what they say they will do in education, just look at their track record: KEVIN RUDD SAID: “We’ll be providing an average $1 million investment to every Queensland school. Mr Abbott will be taking that $1 million plus out of each of those Queensland schools.” FACT: Kevin Rudd is wrong. The Coalition will match Labor dollar for dollar on education spending over the forward estimates. KEVIN RUDD SAID: “Mr Abbott says he’s going to rip $8 billion out of that [education].” FACT: Kevin Rudd is wrong. The Coalition will match Labor dollar for dollar on education spending over the forward estimates. KEVIN RUDD SAID: “Across Australia we will now have a network of 500 trades training centres.” FACT: As of May 2013 Labor as only delivered 252 trades training centres, just 10 per cent of the 2,650 he promised in 2007. KEVIN RUDD SAID: “Across Australia we have put one million new computers into high schools.” FACT: That program is grossly over budget. The Government promised to connect those computers to the internet – so far they have failed to deliver. More facts about Labor’s record on education: Childcare Centres Labor promised to end the double-drop off by building 260 childcare centres but gave up after building only 38. Student results After five years, both international and national testing data shows that student achievement in Australia has either flatlined, or declined. Literacy and numeracy Labor’s $540 million literacy and numeracy programme failed to improve student outcomes. An independent performance audit of the programme which examined national testing data from 2008 to 2011 concluded the programme did not make a statistically significant improvement in any State. Cash for ‘most improved schools’ programme As part of a deal brokered with regional Independents in order to secure office in 2010, Labor promised that a third of cash bonuses of up to $70,000 per school set aside for ‘school improvement’ would be paid to regional schools. Not a single school received a cash bonus as promised at the last election before the policy was scrapped, let alone the regional schools. Teacher bonus programme Not one teacher has been paid a cash bonus as promised at the last election before the policy was dumped in the Budget. Teach Next It was sent to the policy dustbin in the pre-election economic outlook. Today’s announcement confirms that the funding has been redirected to Teach for Australia, which the Coalition suggested should have happened in the first place. International education Labor have failed to protect one of our most important export sectors. The cumulative loss in education exports has, so far, been $4.8 billion (to December 2012). Mr Rudd’s fear mongering is just another example of the fakery he has engaged in since the start of the campaign – and he knows it – because during Kevin Rudd’s time as a senior bureaucrat for former Queensland Premier Goss he closed 46 schools. 20 August 2013