- Home
- Hansard & Papers
- Legislative Assembly
- 29 October 2002
Public Education Funding
Printing Tips |
Print selected text
| Full Day Hansard Transcript
« Prior Item |
Item 18 of 40
| Next Item »
Page: 6024
Mr TRIPODI: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Education and Training. What is the latest information on public education funding in New South Wales?
Mr WATKINS: Yesterday the honourable member for Ku-ring-gai did himself and public education a grave disservice. He continued that disservice today with his urgent motion.
Mr SPEAKER: I call the honourable member for North Shore to order.
Mr WATKINS: Yesterday on the airwaves the honourable member for Ku-ring-gai proclaimed New South Wales public education to be second rate. He was almost breathless in his denigration of this great system and he questioned the outcomes produced by public schools despite all the published data that shows that our public schools are achieving literacy and numeracy results equal to the best in the world.
Mr SPEAKER: I call the honourable member for Ku-ring-gai to order for the third time. I call the honourable member for Lane Cove to order.
Mr WATKINS: The honourable member for Ku-ring-gai said that our public schools were not performing, despite the fact that in the Higher School Certificate merit lists about half of the highest achieving students were from public schools.
Mr SPEAKER: The honourable member for Lane Cove will cease interjecting.
Mr WATKINS: He said that large class sizes were causing an exodus from public schools; but he should know that class sizes in non-government schools are larger than they are in the public system. He said that spending on education was 22 per cent of total government expenditure, despite the fact that a cursory glance at this year's budget papers reveals that it is now 23.7 per cent. Basically, he spent most of yesterday proclaiming that public education was not up to scratch. He is wrong and his motives are grubby. Today I will correct the record. Most importantly, I send a very clear message to the students, the parents and the staff in the public education system that the Government acknowledges the fine work that is done in our public schools, day in and day out.
The Government does not accept that over the next few months the political debate around education should be at the expense of public education—at the expense of the hard work of teachers and their students. In short, the Government will continue to work hard to build on this great public education system, to increase its strengths and deal with its weaknesses. The Government believes in, and will support, a first-class public school system, because that is what a responsible government should do.
I refer specifically to public education funding in this State compared with that in other States. Since the release of the final chapter of Professor Tony Vinson's report into public education there has been a great deal of discussion about how New South Wales funding compares with that of other States. The figures reproduced in the Vinson report for 1999-2000 come from the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, [MCEETYA]. Over the past couple of weeks New South Wales Treasury has been analysing the data. Treasury's analysis reveals that for the past three years New South Wales' low ranking as compared with other States occurred for a simple reason—the comparisons were not valid.
Let me explain. Treasury advises that Victorian, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory figures include between $1,000 and $1,500 per student that other States simply do not include. It is a round-robin payment; that is, Treasury gives the money to the Department of Education and Training and it simply comes straight back to Treasury. That payment includes costs such as payroll tax and user cost of capital. New South Wales figures do not include those costs. In order to make a fairer and more accurate comparison, New South Wales Treasury has recalculated the MCEETYA figures on the same basis for each jurisdiction. So we should compare each jurisdiction with the same criteria. That has been done using consistent criteria and the percentage rate used by the Productivity Commission for user cost of capital.
Treasury's recalculation shows that in 1999-2000 New South Wales spent $8,274 per student and not the $6,900 reported by MCEETYA. In summary, in 1999-2000 New South Wales spent $8,274 per child in government schools, which is above the national average. That is more than Victoria, South Australia and Queensland—those jurisdictions with which we are most commonly compared. The most recent MCEETYA figures—for the year 2000-01—are yet to be formally published. However, I understand that certain parts of those figures have been released. I believe that the Commonwealth Government is planning to release those figures in full later in the year. However, they are available to States and Territories. That is why New South Wales Treasury has been able to analyse them as well, in the manner that I outlined earlier.
Mr O'Farrell: Point of order: My point of order relates to relevance. Whilst the Minister is on the subject he might like to explain how, for the last seven years, New South Wales MCEETYA officials have been responsible for the comparability of Australiawide figures. However, up to this point not one complaint has been lodged by New South Wales. Six months before the next State election the Government is now challenging those figures. It is a rort. This is the first time the MCEETYA issue has been raised. The Minister has never raised this objection at a MCEETYA meeting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
Mr WATKINS: The analysis of 2000-01 figures showed that New South Wales spent $8,571, which was above the Australian average of $8,429 and also above the Victorian figure of $7,804 and the Queensland figure of $8,151. That is significantly more—$1,373 more—than the figure that will be reported by MCEETYA. The obvious question that arises is: What action is being taken to ensure that MCEETYA figures are correctly reported? Yesterday I wrote to MCEETYA requesting that the full set of 2000-01 data be amended. I forwarded a copy of the Treasury analysis to assist in that task.
Last Thursday the Treasurer and I met with Professor Vinson to alert him to the Treasury analysis. We also assured him that the Treasury analysis had no bearing on the value that the Government places on his report. We told him that we would treat his report with regard. That is why I have asked the Public Education Council to consider it carefully. I conclude by referring again to the shadow Minister. I want it to be clear that the Opposition's hypocrisy is under attack—not anyone or anything else.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Lane Cove to order for the second time.
Mr WATKINS: Yesterday the honourable member for Ku-ring-gai spent all day bagging the Government about funding for education. That was his theme. However, at his press conference he let the cat out of the bag. At his press conference he said:
We—
that is, the Opposition—
believe it can be done [improving public education] so within the existing budget. It's all about priorities. It's all about intent.
The honourable member's statement was clear and unequivocal. He said that a Brogden government would not increase funding for education if it was elected in March next year. The question remains: Exactly what will Opposition members be reprioritising?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Wakehurst to order.
Mr WATKINS: What will Opposition members be reprioritising to fund the hundreds of millions of dollars of promises that they have been making?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Lane Cove to order for the third time.
Mr WATKINS: What is their malicious intent in relation to the public education system? They should come clean and tell the teachers, students and parents of New South Wales. I seek leave to table the Treasury analysis of MCEETYA data.
Leave not granted.
Last modified 05/12/2007 16:40:36 : Update this page