Show us the money Ms Gillard

When meeting with teachers, principals and parents today to discuss education funding, the Prime Minister and Schools Minister should reveal where the $113 billion in new spending needed for the Gonski model will be coming from, said Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education.

“The proposed 12 year model requires Australian Governments to stump up as much as $113 billion in new funding if indexation remains at 6 per cent,” Mr Pyne said.

“Ms Gillard and Mr Garrett attend meetings with principals, teachers and parents and cruelly raise expectations, but then refuse to explain how they intend to pay,” he said.

“Parents need to remember that after two years of reviewing education funding, the Labor Government released the Gonski Review but did not commit to the recommendations or the additional funding.

“The report requires that cash strapped State Governments find 70 per cent of the additional funding called for in the review and they weren’t even consulted.

“All of this grandstanding without any details just creates more uncertainty within the sector.

“It is time for the Government to tell the truth about the additional funding. It would be a huge blow for families if parents were required to cover the extra money through higher school fees or new taxes,” Mr Pyne said.

March 8, 2012