18 July 2017

‘In his rush to clinch a deal on education funding and end the budget session on a high Education Minister Simon Birmingham either didn’t check the details or deliberately decided to give Catholic education another whack,’ CECV Executive Director Stephen Elder said.

‘Whatever way, this is disgraceful and discriminatory policy.’

Independent schools that are assessed to be ‘over funded’ will transition down to their new funding level over 10 years under the final model negotiated with the Senate.

However, with the exception of the ACT, all Catholic systemic schools that are assessed to be ‘over funded’ will transition to their new funding level over a much shorter period – just six years.

The loss in funding to Catholic systems nationally from this discriminatory treatment amounts to $330 million from 2018 to 2021 and $1.1 billion from 2018 to 2027.

‘It’s not just the Catholic system that will be hit,’ Mr Elder said.

‘Government systems will face the same discrimination from the Minister’s rushed policy.

‘This is the sort of thing that happens when you try and finalise a 10-year school funding model in less than eight weeks, without adequate scrutiny and oversight.

‘No doubt this will be the first of many mistakes that will be uncovered in the Ministers half-baked funding policy.

‘And somehow this Minister still thinks he has a sector-blind funding model. He has been deluding himself and his colleagues all along.

‘Senator Birmingham must have developed this funding policy by only consulting independent schools.

‘Catholic systems and government systems are seriously disadvantaged.’