Federal Government Education Minister Simon Birmingham has said he “hopes” to avoid a political campaign against them in the lead up to the 2019 election, after the Government successfully got its Gonski 2.0 reforms through the senate.
It comes after the house voted 71 votes to 64 and the Senate 3 to 31 on the new reforms.
The Catholic education sector and the Australian Education Union have opposed the package, which aims to deliver need-based funding to Australian schools, and warned parents it might raise fees.
Mr Birmingham told ABC News he hoped the Coalition would not face a fierce political campaign against them in the lead up to the 2019 election and that Catholic educators would realise there was no need for such fee rises.
“Well I certainly hope not because I trust when parents and principals and teachers genuinely see their funding keeps going up,” he told the ABC.
“There’s growth above inflation and above wages growth and it’s done in a fair way, they’re going to see there’s no need for fee increases or changes to their system.”
“I really do want to reassure parents in Catholic school systems around the country that the agreements that have been reached the legislation that has been put in place see strong funding growth into the Catholic school systems.”
He pushed states and territories to “do their share” to fund needy schools.
“The states and territories should also be encouraged as the legislation now does to do their fair share to help ensure all schools reach a fair level of funding.”
Labor’s education spokeswoman and deputy leader Tanya Plibersek said the Opposition would increase funding via social media.
“2:08AM: Liberals ram school cuts through Parliament, sending public schools backwards while elite private schools get big increases,” she tweeted last night.
“We will restore every dollar the Liberals have cut — Labor will never give up on Australia’s schoolchildren.”
Victorian Catholic Education Commission executive director Stephen Elder told News Corp the sector would demand the government redistribute funding if the review of the socio-economic scores found Catholic schools were disadvantaged: “If the review of SES is fair open and honest which I have doubts about, then I have no doubt that it will deliver a better outcome for Holy Trinity Parish primary school in Kensington than it will for Geelong Grammar.”
