Parents, students and teachers will be seriously impacted by the Abbott Government’s decision to cut funding from local schools, Leader of the Opposition and Member for Maribyrnong Bill Shorten said today.

 

“Our community deserves the full six years of Gonski funding we were promised by the Abbott Government, not the cuts they have now delivered,” Mr Shorten said.

 

"After all, Tony Abbott said there would be ‘no cuts to education’ - but yet again we are being left high and dry by his broken promise.”

 

“If the Budget is the best indicator of a Government’s priorities, Tony Abbott's is showing his unwavering commitment to inequality - inequality in our schools and inequality across our community."

 

Mr Shorten highlighted that even the Victorian Liberal Government had argued the need for the Abbott Government to honour the signed agreement and support years five and six of Gonski funding:

 

“In line with its own six-year funding commitment, the Victorian Government will seek to ensure the Commonwealth also delivers on its commitment of an additional $6.8 billion for Victorian schools over six years.” (Victorian Budget Paper 2, 2014)

 

“Even their Liberal state counterparts recognise what Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne do not - our local schools need the additional funding for a fully implemented Gonski deal," Mr Shorten said.

 

"If the Abbott Government were serious about our kids' future, they would have stepped up and delivered funding for our schools across the whole six years."

 

ENDS