PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Mr BIRRELL (Nicholls) (18:35): I rise to support this motion from the fine member for Berowra. At its heart, this motion's about one simple principle: every Australian child deserves access to a quality education, regardless of which school their parents choose. Australia's education system is stronger because it is diverse.
Government, Catholic and independent schools each play a vital role in supporting students, families and communities. Together, they educate millions of young Australians and provide different pathways to meet different needs. I went to a public school and a Catholic school as a primary student and to a public school and a Catholic school as a secondary student.
They all had their pluses and they all gave me a diverse set of experiences. The circumstances that led to that were complicated, but I feel it gives me an ability to speak on the benefits of the diversity of all of our different types of schools. The coalition has always believed that education funding should be about students and not sectors.
That principle guided the school funding reforms we implemented in government through the schooling resource standard, ensuring funding was allocated on a needs based basis while recognising the important role played by every school sector. Now, there is misinformation out there. Some argue that governments have directed too much funding to private schools while public schools are underfunded and struggling.
Some argue that government support for faith based schools is funding religion, which should be taught outside the education system. But the fact is that, on a per student basis, government schools receive substantially more public funding than non-government schools. But growing numbers of families are choosing non-government schools.
And perhaps there are lessons in finding out why parents are making that choice. Importantly, the coalition recognises that parents are best placed to decide what educational environment is right for their child; it might be different educational institutions for different kids. For some families it's going to be the local government school.
For others it could be a Catholic school; an independent school; a specialist school; a boarding school, for people out in the regions; or a school with a particular faith tradition. These choices aren't made lightly. Across regional Australia, including in my electorate, families often make significant sacrifices to send their children to a school they believe best suits their needs and aspirations.
Many of these families aren't wealthy families. They're hardworking Australians who budget carefully because they value the opportunities, community and support that those schools provide. And that's why rhetoric suggesting that all parents who choose non-government schools are somehow privileged or seeking special treatment is both unfair and inaccurate.
As we look to the future, school funding must remain sector neutral and needs based, and that means recognising the additional challenges faced by regional and remote students, students with a disability, special assistance schools and schools serving disadvantaged communities. For those of us who represent the regional electorates, the challenge is particularly acute.
Students outside metropolitan areas often face workforce shortages, limited subject choices and fewer educational opportunities. School funding arrangements must account for these realities and support schools that are doing the heavy lifting in regional Australia. There are great government schools in regional Australia, but the fact that there are low-cost Catholic schools and independent schools takes the pressure off those public schools.
In her annual report, the Regional Education Commissioner highlights the importance of targeted support for regional students and flexible funding approaches. She also highlights the importance of ensuring schools have adequate time and certainty to make the changes they need to make. This should not be a debate about government schools versus non-government schools.
It should be a debate about how we deliver the best possible outcomes for every student. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. Every family deserves the freedom to choose the educational pathway that best suits their child, and the diversity and the availability of different schools, whether it be a boarding option, a faith based option, an independent option or the government option, is important in giving parents that choice.
Every school that is working to provide a high-quality education deserves fair treatment under our federal funding system. For those reasons, I commend this motion to the Chamber.