The Victorian government is facing off with its federal Labor counterparts over funding for public schools, saying it will not accept the current offer on the table. Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll has spoken exclusively to the ABC, saying he plans to reject the commonwealth's offer to pay a share of 22.5 percent for public schools. Victoria has until the end of the month to accept the offer.
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TVTranscript
00:00Thanks Prime Minister, it really is wonderful to have you here.
00:07Ben Carroll normally stands shoulder to shoulder with his Canberra colleagues, but this previously
00:13united front is fraying, and it's all over public schools.
00:18At issue is the Federal Government's offer to lift its share of school funding from 20
00:23to 22.5 per cent of the schooling resource standard.
00:28The Gonski Review's estimate of the total funding required for each school.
00:33The State Government is meant to provide 75 per cent of that funding, and under the deal
00:38would need to kick in an extra 2.5 per cent for public schools to be fully funded.
00:45But Victoria wants the Commonwealth to up its offer to 25 per cent, and neither side
00:50is backing down.
00:52So we're already contributing just over 70 per cent, about 71 per cent to our public
00:58schools.
00:59The Commonwealth?
01:0020 per cent.
01:01We are wanting 5 per cent from the Commonwealth, because that shortfall, 2.5 per cent, is about
01:06$300 million shortfall, and that equates to about $1,000 per student.
01:12Will you accept 2.5 per cent?
01:14We do not plan on accepting 2.5 per cent at all.
01:17Is part of the problem that Victoria can't afford to pay the shortfall?
01:21Why can't the State just stump up the funds?
01:24Well, we've already stumped up over $35 billion in school programs, in infrastructure.
01:31Over the last 10 years, our funding's grown for the public sector more than any other
01:36state, while the Commonwealth Government's funding's grown three times for the non-government
01:41sector.
01:42While State Governments provide the majority of public school funding, for private schools
01:47the situation is reversed, with the Commonwealth paying 80 per cent.
01:52Ben Carroll thinks this is unfair.
01:55We're talking about taking money from some students and giving it to others.
01:59How do you approach that?
02:00Look, Sasha, I'm a product of the non-government school sector, so I went through a Catholic
02:06education system, but I'm also up front that I want to bring balance back to the table,
02:14because it has gone too far for our most wealthy private schools getting Commonwealth
02:20Government funding.
02:21Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has told the ABC the promised additional funding
02:26would be the biggest increase the Commonwealth has ever delivered.
02:30But Ben Carroll is insistent that the Federal Government must pay more.
02:34Why should the Federal Government come up with the cash?
02:37They have their own budgetary challenges.
02:40I argue that when you look at the fiscal imbalance and you look at the Commonwealth with their
02:48goods and services tax revenue, that for Victoria, stumping up $600 million is not that much
02:57to ask for.
02:58As the two Labor Governments go head to head, the clock ticks for Victoria's schools.