Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:21): My question is to the Minister for Education. St Mary’s school is a low-fee Catholic primary school in Whittlesea. While 60 per cent of students come from disadvantaged families, only 7 per cent of students will be eligible for the government’s $400 payment. Why don’t all disadvantaged students at St Mary’s school deserve help?

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for Medical Research) (14:21): The shadow minister quoted 60 per cent of kids at St Mary’s as having disadvantaged backgrounds. Can I tell you what the stat is in our public school system? Ninety-two per cent of kids with disadvantaged backgrounds attend state government schools. This government stands with them and their families, and we are putting our funding to the most important and needy kids in our community – that is, kids that attend our state schools. That is why we are the Education State, and that is why we are getting on with the job and making sure every person –

John Pesutto interjected.

Ben CARROLL: including in your electorate – gets funding, because they deserve it. We will stand with our communities, we will stand with our young children and we will make sure that they get all the funding they deserve.

Let me just go through the stats too. Our government funds 80 per cent of our state schools. The Commonwealth government funds 80 per cent of the independent, non-government school sector. I have not heard one comment from the shadow minister on the National School Reform Agreement defending and trying to get a better deal from Canberra for our state schools.

 Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:22): Yesterday in the house the minister said that the $400 school payment is going where it needs to go. Why do Labor ministers who earn over $365,000 need this payment and disadvantaged students at St Mary’s school in Whittlesea do not?

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for Medical Research) (14:23): I ‍thank the shadow minister for her question, and I refer her to my answer yesterday as well. We have worked very closely with our education stakeholders, we have worked very closely with our school principals right across the state and we have worked very closely with our business managers, and they are very clear that this money, on top of the money we are also funding through State Schools’ Relief, is going to our most needy families and our most needy students.