JULIE DOYLE: Minister, thanks for coming in today. Lets talk firstly about Labor’s focus today has been about $1.8 billion in funding to close the gap between regional and city schools; what’s the Government’s plan to do that? SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Well Julie, this is yet another repackaging of the very old announcement from the Labor party in…
DetailsALI CLARK: We are talking about this report that has been handed down by the Australian Council of Educational Research. Professor Geoff Masters is my guest, he has analysed this report and has found five challenges in the Australian school education system. Simon Birmingham has actually picked up the phone and called in, the Federal Education…
DetailsBill Shorten has started his campaign pitch by once again lying to Australians about education funding in a playground in Leichhardt in Queensland where Labor agreed to rip out $40 million from local schools. “There is no plan for schools except cuts.” – Bill Shorten, Doorstop interview, 9/5/16 “[Malcolm Turnbull] has no plan or the plan…
DetailsIn an extraordinary repackaging of a months old announcement today, Labor has shown they don’t understand how the Commonwealth’s schools funding is distributed and how arrangements work. Quite simply, the Federal Government pays lump sums to states and territories and non-government organisations to distribute as they see fit and based on their own funding models.…
DetailsAfter Labor’s funding plan for schools ‘went up in smoke’, their opposition spokespeople have been caught out telling different stories. Kate Ellis, who clearly said yesterday in Question Time that Labor’s School policy would be funded by a rise in Tobacco excise, has been sidelined by the Opposition Treasurer. “Prime Minister: …Let me remind him of the…
DetailsJOURNALIST: We’ll have an opening statement chat with Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham and the Labor member for Adelaide Kate Ellis. We’ll start with you if we can Birmo. Now, this Newspoll this morning, I guess, the logic of changing leaders last year when Tony Abbott was replaced with Malcolm Turnbull was that you wanted a better communicator, you wanted a…
DetailsTom Elliot: Anyway, our next guest is the federal Education Minister. Senator Simon Birmingham, good afternoon. Simon Birmingham: Good afternoon, good to be with you. Tom Elliot: Now, I know this is sort of an official budget leak, but apparently you’ve got over a billion dollars to pump into primary and secondary schools – is that correct? Simon…
DetailsDavid Speers: With me now is the Education Minister Simon Birmingham, thank you for joining us this afternoon. Simon Birmingham: Good afternoon David. David Speers: So, what you’ve announced is less than what Gonski recommended, about $3 billion less. Was the Gonski Panel wrong about that or is it simply that you just can’t afford to do what…
DetailsAlan Jones: Simon Birmingham, good morning. Simon Birmingham: Good morning Alan, good to be with you. Alan Jones: Thank you. How do these arguments stack up? On the one hand, a wonderful articulation of the fact that spending more money doesn’t produce appropriate educational outcomes, and then in the next breath you spend more money. Simon Birmingham:…
DetailsMichael Brissenden: One part of the Budget that has been confirmed is spending on education. The Government is committing an extra $1.2 billion for schools between 2018 and 2020, partially reversing the $30 billion cut to education funding in the 2014 Budget. Funding will be tied to new literacy and numeracy checks. The commitment falls short…
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