2017-05-13
Statement from Australian Greens education spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young:
I would like to clarify the Greens position on the government's schools funding bill.
The Greens have not yet made a decision on the Government’s schools legislation.
The Australian Greens Party Room is carefully considering this matter and will be consulting widely on this in coming weeks. Parents and teachers can rest assured that we are rock solid in our support for public schools and fair, needs-based funding.
We understand there are concerns with the Government's proposal; which is why we called for a senate inquiry, to consider the evidence from key stakeholders, the AEU, education experts and our party members across the country before making a decision on schools funding legislation.
Our key principles are our strong support for our public schools, our commitment to a genuine needs-based model that looks after needy schools and kids, and we want more investment in funding, not cuts.
The Senate's role as a house of review is more critical now than ever, so we will scrutinise this legislation thoroughly before making any vital decisions about our children's education.
We will reserve our position until we've heard the evidence in the upcoming inquiry.