It seems Labor’s new Shadow Minister for Education Tanya Plibersek needs a lesson in education policy and electoral mathematics after her first major interview since assuming the role.
Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said Ms Plibersek needs to stop talking down schools and teachers and to end the lies about “cuts” to education when the Coalition is in fact investing record levels of funding.
Minister Birmingham said Ms Plibersek needs to do some homework on her portfolio area because the lies and fear-mongering she continued to spread about schools only hurt the morale in Australian schools and families.
“Labor has had a change of Shadow Minister but there’s been no change to the lies being peddled around education to scare Australian families, students and teachers,” Minister Birmingham said.
“There are certainly challenges that Australian education faces in literacy and numeracy and to close gaps in performance but overall we have a world-class, high-performing education system that Labor needs to stop attacking and talking down.
“That’s why at the election the Turnbull Government outlined clear, strong policies that are focused on improving outcomes for our children and students and ensuring our education system is sustainable into the future.
“Contrary to the poor advice Ms Plibersek is getting about “cuts” to schools and how money is distributed, funding for schools under the Coalition will increase from a record $16 billion in 2016 to $20.1 billion in 2020 and it will all be allocated based on need.
Year Schools funding (recurrent calendar year)
2014 – $13.7 billion
2015 – $14.9 billion
2016 – $16.0 billion
2017 – $17.4 billion
2018 – $18.2 billion
2019 – $19.1 billion
2020 – $20.1 billion
“Ms Plibersek needs to explain if Labor is just a one trick pony claiming more funding fixes every problem in education, if she and Labor have learned nothing from the criticism of their untruthful scare campaign about “cuts” to schools and if telling endless lies in a reckless attempt to scare teachers and parents is their only education policy for Australia.
“Conversations around education need to focus on the facts and evidence. I would encourage Ms Plibersek and Labor to engage in a mature and sensible conversation about how we lift outcomes and improve early education and care, schools and post-school education for this and future generations.”