Illawarra teachers have reacted with anger to a leaked federal government document revealing a proposal to charge wealthy parents $1000 per child to attend a public school.
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Fairfax Media reported on Monday that the paper, leaked from the Prime Minister’s department, also outlined federal funding cuts to public education, with the onus being shifted to the states and territories.
The proposal has brought condemnation from teaching unions who claim it could be a bid to abandon the Gonski reforms.
‘‘The government has a responsibility to provide high-quality, free, public education to Australian students,’’ NSW Teachers Federation Illawarra spokesman John Black said.
‘‘What the current federal government is considering would damage education in Australia beyond repair and must be rejected.’’
Teachers Federation president and Illawarra native, Maurie Mulheron, said the move was one of the most ‘‘extreme, radical proposals’’ the government had ever put forward on school funding.
‘‘It effectively means the Commonwealth is going to abandon any obligation to fund public schools, yet it is the Commonwealth that has the greatest capacity to raise revenue,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s a fundamental right of every child to have access to free universal and quality public schooling and it’s the obligation of government to meet that need ... there is a huge achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged and that gap is widening.’’
Enraged residents vented their disgust via the Illawarra Mercury’s Facebook page.
Melinda Whitby said: ‘‘political parties are out of touch with society’’ while Nidy Heberling said it would put a ‘‘bigger gap between the rich and poor’’.
Several other commenters said funding cuts should be made to private schools first.
Dapto High School principal Andrew FitzSimons said he was ‘‘flabbergasted’’ by the reports, especially as Australia had only recently decided on a national curriculum, rather than seven different Boards of Studies.
‘‘We need certainty and predictability,’’ Mr FitzSimons said.
‘‘I think education is a mainstream response of every level of government that flows from the Commonwealth government to the state government and to local governments.’’
Both Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Education Minister Christopher Pyne said they would never support a means test for public education, but said it would be a matter for the states and territories.
The green paper precedes a final white paper on federation reform, which is due for release by the end of the year.
