Today I met with John Mula and Sean Gill from the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office to discuss the Turnbull Government’s so-called ‘Gonski 2.0’ funding deal for schools. A number of Catholic schools are worse off under the proposal, which has been presented to Parliament with no consultation with the Catholic education sector.

Despite Education Minister Simon Birmingham’s claims that there are ‘no special deals’ the new funding model does not compare apples with apples. It continues to rely on the outdated SES system of assessing need, and independent schools that would otherwise lose funding are given 10 years to transition to the new model while Catholic schools take a hit in year one.

The Government’s proposal represents an $85 million cut to Tasmanian schools over the next two years compared to Labor’s commitment in government. We will continue to fight for a better deal for all Tasmanian schools – government, independent and Catholic.