Pyneing for school reform

ii) Mr Pyne's call for an interim funding delay includes its own political overtones. The opposition has repeatedly criticised the government – not without justification – for continuing implementation delays regarding any Gonski school recommendations. Maintaining the current SES funding policy for a further two years would give the coalition further ammunition to criticise the government for its ineptitude in implementing school reform noting many of the timing deadlines for Gonski review recommendations have long since passed.

iii) Mr Pyne knows the coalition stands an excellent chance to defeat the Gillard government at the 2013 election. Gaining a further two year moratorium on possible changes to school funding would give the coalition breathing space to avoid any major school reform by a Tony Abbott-led federal government.

iv) Both the ALP and the coalition know economic conditions over the next few years will be parlous. Sidelining any additional funding commitment – even at the higher $6.5 billion outlay which itself has never been verified or authenticated by the federal government – will significantly ease this country's own fiscal slope that at some stage will need to be addressed federally.

v) Both federal political parties are aware of the financial intricacies facing state and territory governments (apart from WA) to balance their own forward budgets while still undertaking necessary infrastructure improvements which languished for many years under respective state labor governments, notably in NSW. The federal government will be hard pressed to dictate to the states to automatically allocate additional money towards education unless the commonwealth increases its own funding commitment. As is aptly demonstrated with Australia's new federalism under Labor any additional funding from Canberra will come with strings attached, as clearly illustrated with introducing increased language study into the school curriculum.

vi) While Mr Pyne may pine to retain the status quo on school funding serious questions need to be asked regarding the coalition's school reform agenda. If it achieved nothing else the international educational achievements report posed a critical indictment of this country's schooling standards. For too long the coalition has sat on its hands in not proposing meaningful and practical policy recommendations to implement school improvement. Simply maintaining the school funding status quo - while at the same time blandly criticising the current government for its ineptitude – represents an inadequate response to address much needed change to improve teaching and learning for all Australian students.