Who can trust Backstabbing Bill?

Backstabbing Bill Shorten’s agreement with the independent schools sector today on the school funding model is a moot point as all non-government schools are already covered under the new legislation, said the Shadow Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne. “Unfortunately for all non-government schools, they were ‘signed up’ to the new model three weeks ago when it passed Parliament, so today’s announcement was pure farce,” Mr Pyne said. “Far from being historic, what we saw on display was typical Rudd over promising and under delivering,” he said. “Any State or sector listening to Mr Shorten needs to remember if any special deal on offer isn’t included in the Budget or the legislation, then it simply doesn’t exist. “School funding comes down to trust, but who can trust Backstabbing Bill Shorten to keep his word? Kevin Rudd? Julia Gillard? The Australian Workers’ Union? “Promises have been made by successive Labor Education Ministers to address the Indigenous subsidy rate for remote boarding school students, but these promises have never been kept. “Why would anyone trust Labor to fix it now given we have heard this all before? “We are still yet to see the details of how much schools will receive over the next three years, including independent schools. “The Budget shows a $325 million cut to Commonwealth funding over the next four years for school education alone and a $4.7 billion cut to education. “It is ironic Mr Shorten is now trying to get the States to sign up to education changes created by a Prime Minister he had so little faith in he had no qualms in betraying. “I wouldn’t trust Bill Shorten on schools any more than I’d trust him to support Kevin Rudd after the election,” Mr Pyne said. 10 July 2013