[Greens-Media] Piccoli must respond to Pyne's private school bias

[John Kaye]

Piccoli must respond to Pyne's private school bias

Media release: 30 May 2014

Public schools in NSW are headed towards a funding crisis after Federal
Education Minister Christopher Pyne committed the federal government to
prioritising private and Catholic education, according to Greens NSW MP
John Kaye.

('Pyne sparks class war,' Sydney Morning herald, 30 May, p.1)

Dr Kaye said: "If Pyne's prejudices become policy, Catholic and independent
schools will have privileged access to the level of government that has the
growth taxes.

"Meanwhile public schools will be dependent on the finances of the
perpetually cash-strapped states.

"There is nothing good in this for public education.

"While it is not the first time an Australian education minister has had a
committed bias to non-government education, it is the first time any of
them has been prepared to say so publicly.

"Without a federal commitment to public education, the NSW government
should look again at its almost $1 billion a year funding of private and
Catholic schools.

"Christopher Pyne is heading towards a highly undesirable end point where
public schools are completely reliant on the state and non-government
education becomes the responsibility of the Commonwealth.

"The Baird government should take Mr Pyne's words to Christian Schools
Australia very seriously and respond by phasing out NSW's $1 billion annual
contribution to the state's non-government sector, starting with the very
wealthiest.

"The bias of the Abbott government is now on the record.

"As the national Gonski agreement is being killed off two years before it
expires, Adrian Piccoli will be left with responsibility for an
under-funded public system with little relief in sight.

"The state's $1 billion gift to the private and Catholic sectors becomes an
unaffordable luxury," Dr Kaye said.

Background:

The state government currently provides $994 million in funding to private
and Catholic schools each year.

On 27 May, Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne told Christian
Schools National Policy Forum (see: http://j.mp/CSA-Pyne):

"I want to have a direct relationship with the non-government sector, as I
believe we have had since 1963. That is my intention."

"Having talked to the Prime Minister about this matter many times, it is
his view that we have particular responsibility for Non-Government
schooling that we don't have for [State] government schooling."

"The emotional commitment within the Federal Government is to continue to
have a direct relationship with the non-government schools sector."

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455

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John Kaye
Greens NSW MP
phone: 0407 195 455
web: www.john.nsw.greens.org.au
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