Row over school spending

CLAIMS that millions of dollars of federal funding — given to Tasmania because of the state’s extra education needs — has not been spent on Tasmanian schools, have been played down by the Government.

Policy analyst Martyn Goddard says $51 million in education-specific GST fund- ing was not spent on Tasmanian schools in 2015-16, the most recent year for which full Australian Bureau of Statistics figures were available.

“This extra money is given in recognition of this state’s higher-than-average needs for government school education,” he said.

“Fewer Tasmanians than other Australians can afford private schools, so we have a much higher proportion in government schools. We have a lower income population and our people are spread out thinly across the state, so we need more schools.

“That’s all recognised in Commonwealth and, particularly, GST funding.”

Mr Goddard said every student in a government school received $908 less than was needed to give them a nationalstandard education.

“The Government is al- lowed to use GST money however it wants, so shortchanging schools in this way is not illegal.

“But that does not mean it’s good policy.”

However, Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said Mr Goddard’s claims “need to be treated with extreme caution”.

Mr Goddard has, for a number of years, analysed health funding in Tasmania and more recently has turned his attention to education funding.

“[He] is becoming a selfappointed expert in everything, and, as usual, his claims need to be treated with extreme caution,” Mr Rockliff said.

He said the Government had not diverted money away from schools.

“As Mr Goddard himself admits, GST funding is untied.

“The Hodgman majority Liberal Government is invest- ing a record amount into our education system, we have employed more teachers, undertaken the biggest high school upgrade program in a generation, and are seeing improved education results.”

Australian Education Union president Helen Richardson said the State Government was “heavy on education spin and glossy brochures” while it siphoned funds away from public schools.