NATION Catholic schools get $ 7.5m in peace deal

Q U E E N S L A N D C a t h o l i c schools will be given $ 7.5 million next year as a peace deal by the Federal Government to help them transition into the new education funding arrangements.

Funding for the Catholic education sector has been one of the most contentious aspects of the Government’s $ 18.6 billion school funding package.

While the Government has won the necessary support from the crossbench, the Sen- ate sat late into the night as it attempted to pass the deal, with the Parliament sitting an extra day today to finalise the legislation.

If passed as expected, it means as well as the Government’s proposed $ 18.6 billion funding increase over a decade, there will be an increase by an additional $ 4.9 billion to bring underfunded schools up to standard in six years instead of 10 years.

A National Schools Resourcing Board to be set up to review school funding meth- ods will cost $ 7.2 million over four years.

Catholic and independent schools will share in $ 50 million to transition out of the old school funding agreement over 12 months.

Of that $ 50 million, $ 7.5 million will go specifically to Queensland Catholic schools and $ 900,000 to independent schools, Education Minister Simon Birmingham revealed yesterday.

The Queensland Catholic Education Commission has argued that their schools are dis- advantaged by the new model, which will see their funding grow at a slower rate than other schools.

A QCEC spokeswoman said they were unable to comment until they had seen the final legislation, which was still being debated yesterday.

Senator Birmingham said Catholic schools nationally would get $ 3.6 billion extra over the next 10 years, compared to the current budgeted costs – including $ 700 million for Queensland Catholic schools. “This is funding a growth rate that is at least 3.5 per cent per student across the states of Australia,” he said.

Queensland state schools will get at least $ 1.4 billion in the next decade, but this amount may increase with the state’s share of $ 4.9 billion being spent to fast- track spending in underfunded schools.

Opposition education spokesman Tanya Plibersek said Labor would continue to oppose the legislation, arguing it was $ 22 billion less than proposed under the Gillard government.