Gonski changes 'fair': MacDonald

BY GARY-JON LYSAGHT

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian has praised the Turnbull Government's decision to fund Gonski 2.0 but says it had better be fair.

Scot MacDonald

Speaking at the National Press Club in Sydney on Wednesday, Ms Berejikliam said the state government will "expect the original agreements and funding arrangements we signed up for to be delivered".

Announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday, Gonski 2.0 will divert funding from 24 of the nation's wealthiest schools to help fund 9400 other schools across the nation.

The Premier's calls have been echoed by Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald, who considers the changes to be fair.

"Personally, I don't think that is a bad system.  I do hear what the Catholic school system is saying that they have some fears; [Education Minister] Simon Birmingham has put out some re-assurances," he said

"Each school will be looking at the detail in the near future.

"As the biggest state, with the most number of school students - about a third of the school population - NSW will be looking at this very closely."

The debate surrounding Gonski funding has been ongoing since the Gillard Government, which commissioned David Gonski to investigate needs-based funding.

The Coalition has been adamant that money does not make schools better, with Mr Turnbull's announcement marking a stunning backflip on policy.

Mr MacDonald identified four schools in the Hunter with large maintenance backlogs, suggesting some are almost $2 million.

He says it's now time to stop arguing and come to an agreement.

"We've now got serious money on the table from the federal government'" he said.

"I very much hope and expect that NSW will get the funding it was originally promised."

The Hunter gives a Gonski

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The I Give A Gonski campaign bus is making its rounds stopping in both Singleton and Newcastle today bringing with it a message to the federal government - to not cut Gonski funding to schools.

The Gonski model is designed to bring every school up to the minimum educational resource standard by 2019, but so far only a third of the funding has been allocated.

By the end of this year, only 36% of funding will have been delivered to schools.

The funding has drastically benefited schools in the Hunter region including Singleton high school who has received $1.2 million in the four years the funding has been available.

Singleton Public School have benefited too, with $301, 000 being delivered to the school over four years.

"Somehow we can afford to give a $50 billion tax cut to corporations when we can't afford a few billion dollars to educate our children even when we know that 248, 000 children in this country with diagnosed disabilities are not receiving one dollar of additional funding, we're going to say no to these children? So to me it defies believe politicians can't put themselves above party politics," said New South Wales Teachers Federation President Maurie Mulheron.

The federal government  are planning to stop the Gonski funding from December this year, and instead replace it with a needs-based model which the NSW Teaching Federation have labelled as unacceptable.

The state government, including both the coalition and ALP are delivering their share of the Gonski funding, but it needs to be replicated at a federal level for the funding to continue.

Joel Fitzgibbon MP and Jason Clare MP in Singleton this morning.

"We know country schools are under-resourced. If the Federal Government refuses to commit to the Gonski model, the programs and initiatives that are already making a difference to the lives of thousands of children in these schools will have to be scrapped," said Maurie Mulheron.

Federal member for the Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon joined forces with Federal member for Blaxland Jason Clare at Singleton High school today supporting the I Give a Gonski bus campaign.

"The quality of your education shouldn't be determined by where you live or what your parents can afford. Malcom Turnbull's cuts to schools threatens the future of local kids - it shows again how out of touch he is. He'd rather give big banks and other coporates a tax cut than invest in better schools for all Australian kids," Jason Clare said.

The Gonski campaign bus tour started on March 1st and will finish with a protest outside Parliament House in Canberra on March 22nd.

Tanya Plibersek visits St Mary's Catholic College at Gateshead

BY SARAH JAMES

Deputy Leader for the Opposition Tanya Plibersek and Member for Shortland Pat Conroy visited St Mary's Catholic College in Gateshead today to see how Gonski funding has benefited schools.

Schools across the Hunter region have been able to provide specialised support for students as well as employ more teachers under the Gonski scheme.

St Mary's Catholic College is one of two schools in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese which is planning to introduce Years 11 and 12 over 2018 and 2019.

The Director of Schools for the Catholic Schools Officer of the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese, Dr Michael Slattery, said this extra funding is needed to provide the required resources, infrastructure and teaching staff needed to expand the school.

According to Pat Conroy, these expansions are being jeopardised by the Coalition Government's plan to cut $140 million in funding schools in the Hunter region.

Schools in the Shortland electorate are to see to miss out on $33 million of funding.

It is feared cuts to funding will result in fewer teachers and less one-on-one attention for students who require extra help with their study.

"This Government is refusing to confirm that it will fully fund years five and six of the Gonski's needs-based funding reforms as they promised to do," said Ms Plibersek.

"Under this Government, every child in every school in every system in every state will lose."