Pyne’s disability education forum ignores real problem – his broken promise and cuts to funding

Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s “policy roundtable” on disability education in Perth today is a stunt designed to distract attention from funding cuts and his broken promise to increase funding for students with disability, the AEU said today.

AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said WA parents of children with disability and educators already know what the main problem is – a chronic lack of resources which is a barrier to a quality education.

“The Abbott Government has failed to deliver on its promise of increasing funding for students with disability through a ‘disability loading’ for schools in 2015,” Mr Gavrielatos said.

“This is despite Mr Pyne’s comments in opposition that he recognised the ‘extreme neglect’ Of students with disability and a firm commitment to deliver an increased loading from 2015.

On August 24th, 2013, Mr Pyne said: “We have long argued that the current funding arrangements for students with disability and learning difficulty are unfair and inequitable. If elected to Government the Coalition will continue the data collection work that has commenced, which will be used to deliver more funding for people with disability through the ‘disability loading’ in 2015.”

“The Abbott Government has also failed by abandoning the More Support for Students with Disabilities National Partnerships which come to an end this year. Failing to continue this program is a cut of $100 million a year of funding for students with disabilities.”

“Furthermore, by turning their back on the full six-year implementation of Gonski agreements and cutting indexation of schools funding, they will cut funding even further for students from 2018.

“There is a huge, urgent need for support for students with disability in our schools. Too many are being denied the chance of an education that would allow them to reach their potential.

“Across Australia, there are at least 100,000 students with disability in need of additional funding who are missing out under the current system and it is estimated that an extra $2 billion is required to adequately support them.

“A disproportionate amount are educated in public schools, an extra cost that is recognised by Gonski’s needs-based funding system.

“In WA, 4.0 per cent of students were funded for disability in 2012, but because this is the second-lowest figure of any State or Territory and falls well short of the national average of 5.1 per cent, it is likely that this is a gross under-estimation and thousands of WA students with disability are not getting the funding they need.

“The Abbott Government has no plan to fix these issues, and their funding cuts will see another generation of students with disability miss out on the education they need and deserve.

“Today’s forum is asking parents of children with disability to manage the decline of disability education, a decline caused by the Abbott Government stripping funding out of the system.

“The Abbott Government must fulfil its commitment on disability funding and address the huge resource shortages that are denying thousands of students with disability the support they need.

Percentage of students with disability receiving funding in schools in 2012 (source the Productivity Commission)

Media Contact: Ben Ruse 0437 971 291