Friday 19 July 2002

"Australia's school children may have received a huge boost for their hopes of a just, well-funded education with an agreement reached at a meeting of the nation's education ministers around the future resourcing of Australia's schools.

Five key principles were endorsed in a Framework document which now heralds nationwide support for the right of all youngsters to, 'access to high quality government schooling' and significantly, it makes it clear that it is essential that, 'All governments' funding policies recognize this as a national priority'.

The Commonwealth government, which was present at the meeting, now has an historic opportunity to reshape its schools' funding policies to heed the calls for fairness which come from all parts of the country. As the paper endorsed at the meeting of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs [MCEETYA] made it plain: 'National and cooperative approaches to funding must recognise the national imperative of ensuring quality government schools and systems'.

The new federal education minister, Dr Nelson, now has the window of opportunity to distance his leadership from that of his disgraced predecessor, Dr Kemp, whose funding policies were marked by elitism and the neglect of the most needy of Australia's children. Dr Nelson cannot credibly sustain a federal funding policy which directs only 30% of Commonwealth schools funding to the 70% of Australia's children who attend government schools.

In a message which transcends politics, the MCEETYA paper makes it clear that the Commonwealth carries responsibilities, 'for protecting and promoting the interests and welfare of all students'. Dr Nelson's stewardship of his portfolio will be measured by the degree to which he accepts this responsibility.

The statement by the ministers has also made welcome advances by building the principles of equity, need and accountability into the foundations of future school funding policy across Australia. The ministers should also be congratulated for endorsing policy directions that, 'provide a basis for government support to meet the growing costs of schooling over time'."