❓ Shadow Minister Ellery questions Minister Collier on discrepancies between federal funding offers for WA schools under Labor and Liberal governments, focusing on the Gonski funding model and amounts promised. Collier defends the current agreement, citing calendar year vs. financial year accounting and ongoing negotiations.
AnsweredQoN 913Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
EDUCATION — FEDERAL FUNDING
913. Hon SUE ELLERY to the
Minister for Education:
I refer to
Christopher Pyne's advice to federal Parliament that Western Australia
will receive $120 million over four years under the new schools funding
agreement.
(1) Given that the previous federal Labor
government's revised offer to WA across all school sectors was
approximately $260 million over four years, how is $120 million over the same
period a better deal financially for WA schools?
(2) How is it that Christopher Pyne can
quantify the amount that WA agreed to yesterday, but the minister cannot?
(3) The Premier told the other place today
that the last offer from the previous federal Labor government was $137 million
over four years, not $260 million. Where did the Premier get that figure from?
913. Hon SUE ELLERY to the
Minister for Education:
I refer to
Christopher Pyne's advice to federal Parliament that Western Australia
will receive $120 million over four years under the new schools funding
agreement.
(1) Given that the previous federal Labor
government's revised offer to WA across all school sectors was
approximately $260 million over four years, how is $120 million over the same
period a better deal financially for WA schools?
(2) How is it that Christopher Pyne can
quantify the amount that WA agreed to yesterday, but the minister cannot?
(3) The Premier told the other place today
that the last offer from the previous federal Labor government was $137 million
over four years, not $260 million. Where did the Premier get that figure from?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
honourable member for the question.
(1)–(3) I am very happy with the
outcome of what was decided by the federal government on the Gonski funding
model. I will not go into the governance component because that is not a part
of the question. The funding that has been agreed to—at this stage in
principle—between the Western Australian government and the federal
government is exactly the same as that agreed to in the final offer by Julia Gillard
to the state government.
Hon Sue Ellery : How do you get that?
Hon PETER COLLIER : Please, I am answering the member's
question!
That $260 million was
offered to the three non-signatory states and was across all sectors. That was
the offer at the time, and the Western Australian government was quite
comfortable with that. That meant that Western Australia was then part of a
funding agreement. The previous Labor government extinguished WA's
involvement and made Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory
redundant in terms of funding. It said we were not going to get any!
Hon Sue Ellery : But you did not sign!
Hon PETER COLLIER : Of course we did not sign; it was abhorrent!
It would have imposed these massive governance requirements on classrooms
throughout Western Australia and we simply could not agree.
Hon Sue Ellery : Why did you agree to less?
Hon PETER COLLIER : We have not agreed to less.
Hon Sue Ellery : You have—$120 million is less.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I will explain that to the member. We have
not agreed to less. I will go on to the $120 million as I have no problem
answering that question for the member. That $120 million is over a calendar
year, which is of course what schools are in. The four years finish in December
2017, which means that six months are not included in the funding model. That
is exactly what the situation is.
Hon Sue Ellery : It still does not add up!
Hon PETER COLLIER : The Leader of the Opposition has been caught
out; she is incorrect!
Several members interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : That $120 million reflects the final
agreement over calendar years and not financial years. The agreement we have at
the moment has been agreed to in principle; we have not signed anything at this
stage and negotiations are continuing. That brings me to the second part of the
member's question about how Christopher Pyne could quantify the amount
that the WA government had agreed to and I could not. I did the eminently
responsible thing: negotiations are continuing. I agree that the amount will be
around $120 million. However, I am not willing to agree with the member when
she suggests that I am saying that is definitive and that is it. Quite frankly,
I want to make sure we iron out all the creases in the agreement. This has just
occurred in the last few days and I want to iron out all the creases in the
agreement to get it right. I can say that $120 million is around the ballpark
of what it will end up as.
I have answered the final part of the member's question. As I
said, we are looking at calendar years and not financial years.
Hon Sue Ellery : It still does not add up!
Hon PETER COLLIER : It is not the same! We are talking about a
four-year agreement. We are talking about $120 million over the four-year
agreement, but it does not include January to June in the financial year
post-2017. What we will do then is what we do on each and every occasion: we
will negotiate with the federal government for another funding agreement. The
issue of whether or not we did not get as much as other states or why we
received less in comparison with other states goes back to what I have been
saying constantly in this place and publicly for the last 12 months. That is,
the school resourcing standard that is used to determine what actually occurs
with this funding model has worked on the premise of around $9 000 for each
primary school student and $12 000 for each secondary school student. Schools
in Western Australia combined are funded on average at $15 700 per student. We
have the best resourced schools of any state.
Hon Sue Ellery : The Premier said that was insulting when
federal Labor put that argument.
Hon PETER COLLIER : It was! It was absolutely insulting!
Hon Sue Ellery : So it is insulting when Labor says it, but it
is not insulting when you say it!
Hon PETER COLLIER: The honourable member is
talking about $186 million over six years spread throughout all the sectors.
Hon Sue Ellery : No, I am not. I am talking about the four
years.
Hon PETER COLLIER : The original offer, which we said was
insulting, was $186 million over —
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! This is
not a debate. A question was posed. Let us hear the answer, which is required
to be concise and relevant.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President, I have been looking
forward to this question. As I said, Julia Gillard's original offer was
$186 million over six years for all three sectors. We would have got $8 million
in the first year of that offer in 2014. That is why we said it was insulting.
honourable member for the question.
(1)–(3) I am very happy with the
outcome of what was decided by the federal government on the Gonski funding
model. I will not go into the governance component because that is not a part
of the question. The funding that has been agreed to—at this stage in
principle—between the Western Australian government and the federal
government is exactly the same as that agreed to in the final offer by Julia Gillard
to the state government.
Hon Sue Ellery : How do you get that?
Hon PETER COLLIER : Please, I am answering the member's
question!
That $260 million was
offered to the three non-signatory states and was across all sectors. That was
the offer at the time, and the Western Australian government was quite
comfortable with that. That meant that Western Australia was then part of a
funding agreement. The previous Labor government extinguished WA's
involvement and made Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory
redundant in terms of funding. It said we were not going to get any!
Hon Sue Ellery : But you did not sign!
Hon PETER COLLIER : Of course we did not sign; it was abhorrent!
It would have imposed these massive governance requirements on classrooms
throughout Western Australia and we simply could not agree.
Hon Sue Ellery : Why did you agree to less?
Hon PETER COLLIER : We have not agreed to less.
Hon Sue Ellery : You have—$120 million is less.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I will explain that to the member. We have
not agreed to less. I will go on to the $120 million as I have no problem
answering that question for the member. That $120 million is over a calendar
year, which is of course what schools are in. The four years finish in December
2017, which means that six months are not included in the funding model. That
is exactly what the situation is.
Hon Sue Ellery : It still does not add up!
Hon PETER COLLIER : The Leader of the Opposition has been caught
out; she is incorrect!
Several members interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : That $120 million reflects the final
agreement over calendar years and not financial years. The agreement we have at
the moment has been agreed to in principle; we have not signed anything at this
stage and negotiations are continuing. That brings me to the second part of the
member's question about how Christopher Pyne could quantify the amount
that the WA government had agreed to and I could not. I did the eminently
responsible thing: negotiations are continuing. I agree that the amount will be
around $120 million. However, I am not willing to agree with the member when
she suggests that I am saying that is definitive and that is it. Quite frankly,
I want to make sure we iron out all the creases in the agreement. This has just
occurred in the last few days and I want to iron out all the creases in the
agreement to get it right. I can say that $120 million is around the ballpark
of what it will end up as.
I have answered the final part of the member's question. As I
said, we are looking at calendar years and not financial years.
Hon Sue Ellery : It still does not add up!
Hon PETER COLLIER : It is not the same! We are talking about a
four-year agreement. We are talking about $120 million over the four-year
agreement, but it does not include January to June in the financial year
post-2017. What we will do then is what we do on each and every occasion: we
will negotiate with the federal government for another funding agreement. The
issue of whether or not we did not get as much as other states or why we
received less in comparison with other states goes back to what I have been
saying constantly in this place and publicly for the last 12 months. That is,
the school resourcing standard that is used to determine what actually occurs
with this funding model has worked on the premise of around $9 000 for each
primary school student and $12 000 for each secondary school student. Schools
in Western Australia combined are funded on average at $15 700 per student. We
have the best resourced schools of any state.
Hon Sue Ellery : The Premier said that was insulting when
federal Labor put that argument.
Hon PETER COLLIER : It was! It was absolutely insulting!
Hon Sue Ellery : So it is insulting when Labor says it, but it
is not insulting when you say it!
Hon PETER COLLIER: The honourable member is
talking about $186 million over six years spread throughout all the sectors.
Hon Sue Ellery : No, I am not. I am talking about the four
years.
Hon PETER COLLIER : The original offer, which we said was
insulting, was $186 million over —
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! This is
not a debate. A question was posed. Let us hear the answer, which is required
to be concise and relevant.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President, I have been looking
forward to this question. As I said, Julia Gillard's original offer was
$186 million over six years for all three sectors. We would have got $8 million
in the first year of that offer in 2014. That is why we said it was insulting.
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