Minority Report by the
Australian Greens
When in opposition the ALP identified
fundamental flaws in the socio-economic status (SES) funding model. The now Education Minister, Julia Gillard, said in 2000:
"There
are the following five flaws in the SES model. Firstly, it could be argued that
the model is flawed, proceeding as it does on the basis of the average
government school costs figure. ... Secondly, this model uses only some aspects
of the census data. ... Thirdly, the model may lose veracity the more geographically
dispersed the students of a particular school are. ... Fourthly, the model may
lose veracity in highly differentiated areas where wealth and poverty live
cheek by jowl. The last objection to the SES model is more philosophical, that the
model makes no allowance for the amassed resources of any particular school. ....
This is a gaping flaw, one which the government would not allow to emerge in
any other benefit distribution system."[1]
Nothing has changed in the meantime and it is
unacceptable that the Rudd Government is seeking to maintain the SES model with all its
flaws for another 4 years.
Fundamentally, the problem with the SES model is that the
formula to provide the funding has never been applied as intended because of
the funding guarantee provisions. These provisions see about half of
Australia's non-government schools receive more funding than they would be
entitled to if the SES formula was strictly
applied. The committee heard evidence that non-government schools would receive
around $2.7 billion in additional funding over the next four years as a result
of these overpayments. By guaranteeing this level of overpayment for the next
4 years non-government schools have certainty and additional funding
while public schools have no such certainty.
The problem with public education funding in Australia is that it is primarily
the responsibility of State governments with top up from the Commonwealth. This
funding arrangement has been a disaster for public school funding making it
vulnerable to the vagaries of state budgets. Under this dysfunctional education
funding model, the gap between funding of private and public education has
widened. It is likely that with the current economic downturn, reduced consumer
spending and reduced return on resource based company profits that state
governments will further cut back on public education spending in the next four
years. Therefore, the Australian Greens believe that the review of the SES model should be brought
forward and that the Schools Assistance Bill should only provide funding for
the next 2 years.
The Australian Greens support the comments of
the majority report in respect of the implementation of a national curriculum,
funding transparency and audit reports.
Recommendation 1: The title of the bill be
amended to the Non-Government Schools Assistance Bill 2008.
Recommendation 2: The bill provide funding for
the next 2 years only.
Recommendation 3: The review of the SES model is brought
forward and completed by mid-2010 and the recommendations framed before the
next federal election.
Recommendation 4: Public schools receive
additional Commonwealth funding over the funding period equivalent to the
maintained funding and guaranteed funding provided to non-government schools
calculated to be about $2.7 billion over the next four years.
Senator Christine Milne
Navigation: Previous Page | Contents | Next Page