Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie has raised grave concerns at alarming evidence that Catholic Schools would be considerably worse off under the Labour Government’s new Australian education reforms.
The Senate Standing Committee on Education Employment and Workplace Relations (EEWR) has received a submission that outlines how Catholic Schools will be worse off under the Federal Labor Government’s Australian Education Bill.
The submission stated that Catholic Schools would face a number of blows if the reforms were made.
Results show that the Federal Labor Government’s fundng model, which is supposed to address inequity, will result in 25 per cent of the lowest SES Catholic schools losing funding.
This is a shocking contradiction to the proposed Bill that states, “It is essential that Australian schooling be of a high quality and be highly equitable in order to create a highly skilled and successful workforce, strengthen the economy, and increase productivity, leading to greater prosperity for all.”
“The Nationals believe that the highest standards and equality of access to learning are fundamental for all Australians. This information clearly demonstrates that Federal Labor won’t deliver that.”
Under the Gonski recommendations, the average fees for Catholic Schools could rise between 200 – 300 per cent.
Additionally, under the Federal Labor Government proposals, Catholic Schools may be forced to abolish family fees in order to meet the Student Resource Standard. This will impact on a parent’s ability to choose a Catholic education for their child.
“These proposals by the Federal Labor Government are ill conceived and lack proper detail. The Bill does not recognise the right for parents to choose the type of education, whether it be public, private, Catholic or Independent, for their Child,” Senator McKenzie said.
More damning information out of the submission was that the Federal Labor Government’s proposed funding model for Catholic schools was not finalised and changed numerous times throughout negotiations.
“This is just another example of the chaos in this Government. How can any school have confidence in what they promised when Federal Labor can’t get its story straight?” Senator McKenzie asked
The Catholic Education Committee of Victoria submission was made in response to Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie’s questions on notice that were made to the EEWR Committee on March 1, 2013.