ABC News Radio

SUBJECTS: School Funding; Education; Polling

E&OE................................

Marius Benson: Christopher Pyne, you’ve characterised the Government’s funding plans as robbing Peter to pay Paul. But Peter in this case is the universities. They lose $2.5 billion while Paul, the schools, get $14.5 billion. So a big net gain there for education generally?

Hon Christopher Pyne MP: Well not quite right Marius. The truth is the cuts since last years budget to education and including redirections planned as part of this shake-up is $11 billion. Not just the $2.8 billion in higher education announced on Saturday. So the Government’s cut $2.8 billion in higher education; its cut $3.9 billion last year in the MYEFO which included universities, schools and apprenticeships and training; its cut $600 million in the laptops in schools programme; and then the redirections for the future include literacy and numeracy programs, teacher quality programs, the abolition of the Rewards for Better Teachers program and low SES programs. So there are very wide-spread cuts totalling $11 billion and the Government’s contribution to this $14.5 billion shake-up of funding is 9.4 which means amazingly they are making a saving in education through this announcement.

Benson: So the criticism has been that the Government won’t be able to pay for this but you’re saying they won’t have anything to pay for. They are coming out ahead.

Pyne: Well the truth is they are making a saving in education. So rather than investing new funds in school education which we had expected they would do they are actually cutting education overall by $1.6 billion. They’ve got their budget into such a terrible state that they are now robbing education to prop up their deficit and debt strategy.

Benson: One specific figure you’re critical of is the allocation under this plan of $300 million to WA, to Western Australia. How much extra funding will Western Australia receive under a Coalition Government for schools?

Pyne: Well the Coalition, if this plan falls over at COAG on Friday, we will keep the current quantum of funds plus indexation on the current rate. Now that has been 6 per cent on average over the last ten years. So in fact the Coalition’s position is more generous than Labor’s because Labor is offering 4.7 per cent indexation and asking the states for 3 per cent. 6 per cent is higher than both of those so in fact under the Coalition if Western Australia or any other state doesn’t sign up to this arrangement they will have certainty of knowing their funding system, which at the moment is completely opaque with the current Government’s announcement, plus they will have a higher rate of indexation.

Benson: You don’t have detailed education plans out as yet but you’ve got general plans out in your ‘Our Plan’ booklet on all the Opposition policies. In that on education you say we will work with the States and Territories to encourage state schools to choose to become independent schools. Do you mean there independent schools in the sense of private schools, state schools to become private schools?

Pyne: No to become independent public schools like the Western Australian model. So the Western Australian system has a new brand of school, it’s called ‘independent public school’ where the public school has more characteristics of a non-government school. In other words the Principal has more authority. They’re a one line budget item in the Western Australian budget. They get to hire their own staff; make decisions about extra-curricular and curricular activity; decide priorities in the school; engage parents more closely in the governance of the school and they are a great success. In fact Western Australia is the only jurisdiction where there is a movement since 1977 from the non-government to the government system of schooling because independent public schools have been such a success. More than 50 per cent of all children in Western Australian public schools are in independent public schools.

Benson: So public schools would then still remain public schools?

Pyne: Of course. They would definitely be public schools but they would be called independent public schools. They would have more independence from central office; they will be able to make more decisions locally and the indications have been that this has been better for outcomes and parents like it.

Benson: There’s a new Neilson Poll out today which shows that you’ve increased your lead. You are now ahead after preferences 57 to 43. That comes after what was seen as quite a good week for Labor. Are you surprised at that result?

Pyne: Well I am actually Marius surprised at that result and I think what it shows is that in spite of the Prime Minister and the Government achieving some good outcomes in their China trip, the basic flaws in the Government are still very apparent to the public and they are a government that’s not focussed on cost of living; job security and good economic management and startlingly, with the arrival of the asylum seeker boat at Geraldton, not able to protect our borders.

Benson: Christopher Pyne thanks again.

Pyne: It’s a pleasure.

ENDS.