In announcing the Abbott Government’s changes to education funding for Australian schools, neither Prime Minister Tony Abbott nor Education Minister Christopher Pyne would guarantee that individual schools, in those states which had entered into agreements with the Commonwealth under the former Labor Government’s legislated education reforms, would receive the funding levels expected over the next four years.
With Mr. Pyne apparently going one step further and implying that any cuts in funding to individual states would have to be met by reducing funding to schools in those states’ free public education systems, as non-government/private school funding levels were set in separate legislation.
However, Tony Abbott continues to insist that he is keeping his election campaign promise with regard to school funding.
He is not telling the truth.
However, Tony Abbott continues to insist that he is keeping his election campaign promise with regard to school funding.
He is not telling the truth.
THE LIE
ABC News 1 December 2013:
Mr Abbott maintains the Coalition is upholding its election commitment, saying it promised to match the funding total, not the model used to distribute it.
"Under the Coalition, schools will get the same quantum of funding over the four years that they would have under Labor had it been re-elected. In fact, they will get a little bit more," he told Channel Ten.
"I think Christopher [Pyne] said schools would get the same amount of money and schools - plural - will get the same amount of money.
"We are going to keep the promise that we actually made, not the promise that some people thought that we made, or the promise that some people might have liked us to make."
THE TRUTH
TONY ABBOTT: ...as far as I am concerned, as far as Christopher Pyne is concerned, as far as the Coalition is concerned, we want to end the uncertainty by guaranteeing that no school will be worse off over the forward estimates period. So we will honour the agreements that Labor has entered into, we will match the offers that Labor has made, we will make sure that no school is worse off...as far as school funding is concerned Kevin Rudd and I are on a unity ticket.
ABC NEWS 2 August 2013:
The Coalition has announced a turnaround in its support for the Federal Government's so-called "Gonski" school funding plan.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says if the Coalition wins government, it will honour Labor's funding commitments across the four years of the budget forward estimates.
Previously, he had promised only to guarantee any deals Labor struck for the first year.
Mr Abbott says the decision will help schools plan for the future.
Excerpts from then Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s official website, www.tonyabbott.com.au:
The Coalition's policy for schools: Putting students first
Posted on Thursday, 29 August 2013
A Coalition government will improve Australia’s schools through improved teacher quality, greater parental involvement in decision-making, a sound national curriculum and deliver certainty over funding.
Our policy starts with a clear commitment to all Australian schools: your funding is certain. The Coalition will match Labor dollar-for-dollar over the next four years......
Interview with Barrie Cassidy, Insiders, ABC TV
Posted on Sunday, 1 September 2013
TONY ABBOTT:
I don't believe the additional savings to be announced later in this week, will impact on ordinary Australians. I want to give people this absolute assurance, no cuts to education, no cuts to health, no changes to pensions and no changes to the GST.
Address to the National Press Club, Election 2013
Posted on Monday, 2 September 2013
.......No cuts to education......
Christopher Pyne confirms Abbott's election campaign commitment:
On 4 August 2013: "schools need the certainty and states need the certainty to know that whether they vote Liberal or Labor they will get exactly the same amount of money''.
On 26 August 2013: So
you can vote Liberal or Labor and you'll get exactly the same amount of funding
for your school…
UPDATE
THE PARTIAL BACKDOWN
The
Sydney Morning Herald 2 December 2013:
The Abbott government
has reversed its position again on the Gonski education funding, saying it will
honour all existing deals for the next four years, and add an extra $1.2
billion into the system.
In a joint press
conference held at Parliament House in Canberra, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and
Education Minister Christopher Pyne sought to put an end to the damaging
headlines about the government's ‘‘broken promise’’ on education.
1 comment:
Apparently, Australian Journalists got it wrong.
Also the voting Australian public.
But, apparently, Abbott, Murdoch, Pyne and Pell have got it right.
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