Ann Sudmalis bites back at funding cut claims

Education funding cuts have riled up South Coast politicians.

Gilmore Labor candidate Fiona Phillips has labelled the Coalition’s latest school funding model a “complete fraud”. 

She said it was not based on needs and was “deceptive”. 

“The original Gonski plan is based on needs to get to the minimum resource levels for our schools,” she said.  

“They [the Coalition] have been deceptive in what they have done. They went to the previous election saying there would be no cuts to education and now they are cutting $22 billion from schools.”

Mrs Phillips said Labor would honour the original Gonski funding agreement and commit to reversing funding cuts if elected at the next federal election. 

She said needs-based funding was important for the area and to turn the youth unemployment rate, which currently sits at 24.1 per cent, around. 

“We need to bring funding up to a minimum resource level based on need. Our kids need that funding to have every opportunity to get ahead,” Mrs Phillips said. 

“The needs-based funding model is unique to each school and unique to communities and the kids there. It is for programs and things needed for that school. That could be to help lift attendance rates at school.”

Her comments come off the back of a stoush between Federal Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis and NSW Parliamentary secretary for education Gareth Ward, who are both Liberal Party members, over the two Gonski funding models. 

Mrs Sudmalis said the funding announced in the recent federal budget, dubbed Gonski 2.0, was “truly reflecting” the changes David Gonski planned for better education. 

Close to $14 million of funding will be stripped from Shoalhaven schools under the changes, the worst affected school being Nowra East Public School, which will lose $1.3 million over the next two years.

However, Mr Ward said the original Gonski agreement would have seen an additional $1.8 billion go into schools up until 2019.