Gonski 2.0 Reforms Will Give More Money to Australia’s “Neediest” Public Schools

The Turnbull Government will stick to their guns on Gonski 2.0, their education funding overhaul that will reportedly give more to the nation’s “neediest” schools.

The Sydney Morning Herald has revealed public schools would be $4 billion better off over the next 10 years while Catholic schools will take a massive hit of $4.6 billion during that time.

Over the next four years, Catholic schools will lose $705 million while public schools would gain $693 million and the remaining $12 million would go to private schools.

It’s a whole lot of money shuffling.

Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training, spoke to ABC Radio the other day to explain that this model "will be targeted into the schools who need it most to give them the greatest lift in their resourcing."

He later explained on Sky News AM that "the bulk of it is directed to the neediest schools, [so] that there’s clear growth across all of the different schooling systems."

The Gonski 2.0 reforms, however, would need the support of crossbenchers to get through the Senate.

Tanya Plibersek, Labor's deputy leader, has spoken out against the reforms stating that they are still a cut to education funding.

"These are $22 billion worth of cuts to schools... That means cuts to funding for schools in the country and the city, big schools and little schools, schools from battling postcodes," Plibersek stated.

The bill will be debated this week in the Senate.

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