Loophole in Gonski reforms

TONY Abbott has the trigger to tear up Labor’s Gonski school funding reforms in his first term after discovering the Catholic sector and a majority of states never signed binding agreements.

While the Prime Minister pledged to match Labor’s legislated ‘‘ funding envelope’’ for public and private schools for the next four years, it has emerged there is scope to remove the red tape and ‘‘central command and control’’ reporting requirements.

Leaked documents reveal Bill Shorten and Kevin Rudd never signed the $1.6 billion schools deal with the Catholic sector.

Bilateral agreements with Victoria and Tasmania were also not finalised.

Senior government sources confirmed the new funding model was unlikely to survive.

‘‘It’s back to the drawing board for the whole funding model,’’ a senior government source said. ‘‘There isn’t a national schools funding model in place.’’

Despite Mr Shorten and former PM Mr Rudd heralding the deal with the Catholic sector a triumph in July, just weeks before the election, government sources said it was nothing more than a picture opportunity.

National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox confirmed the deal with the Rudd government was never signed.

‘‘We’re working with the new government now to finalise arrangements,’’ he said.

However, Mr Fox said he was not concerned that the $1.6 billion was at risk because it was guaranteed in the legislation but many of the more onerous reporting requirements could be ‘‘streamlined’’.

Labor had already slashed the value of the schools reforms by $1.2 billion on the eve of the election to reflect the fact several states — Queensland, WA and the NT — failed to sign on.