With the Education Minister's school funding deadline to the states expiring today, the Greens say Federal Labor must raise the federal public school contribution to at least 25% and stop standing in the way of doing the bare minimum to drag our public school system back from the brink.
Labor's proposed deal will actually lock in another decade of underfunding for public schools, cementing Australia's school system as one of the OECD's most unequal and segregated.
As stated by Greens spokesperson on Primary and Secondary Education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne:
"On the same day the Government announced another surplus, Labor is turning its back on public school kids and threatening another decade of underfunding.
"Public school parents, carers and teachers know that this is a cruel and visionless approach to public schooling.
"Federal Labor is choosing to give private schools $51 million per day, but they're obstinately standing in the way of doing the bare minimum to bring our public school system back from the brink.
"Let me be clear: public schools deserve full ongoing funding and cannot be left to scrape by on less than the bare minimum. Labor's deal is not a deal for full funding, and independent fact checkers have labelled Mr Clare's claims as misleading.
"Public schools are currently underfunded by $32 billion across the next five years and this deal will not bridge that gap.
"I am seriously concerned that the Government intends to set and forget their contribution to public schooling at 22.5% or lower - when it should be at least 25% - thereby locking in another generation of disadvantage."
