Government negligence further exposed

By Angelo Gavrielatos

Whilst sitting on an $11 billion Budget surplus the Howard Government and Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop are allowing a government report identifying a national funding shortfall for public schools in the order of $2.9 billion to gather dust.

Established in 2001 by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA), the Schools Resource Taskforce identified that a further $2.4 billion per year (in 2003 prices) was necessary for schools to reach the National Schools Resourcing Standard to meet the National Goals of Schooling.

The amount identified represents a least-cost amount to government as "the costings do not reflect the higher ambitions held by Ministers and the educational community for all students". The report also states the figures "do not reflect the cost of improving the whole range of student learning outcomes".

By its known admission, the taskforce has grossly underestimated the funding shortfall.

In calculating the least cost to government the taskforce has not included the cost of special education, quality teaching (the need to prepare future generations of teachers in the face of the huge exodus of experienced teachers) nor the cost of capital (a critical factor in view of the physical state of our schools).

Despite an $11 billion surplus and the existence of this report, the Federal Government has failed to invest in the most important national asset of children and public education. This report serves the basis of the Australian Education Union's national $2.9 billion claim served on government.

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Deputy President.

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