Quotes attributable to Correna Haythorpe, Australian Education Union President:
“Tonight’s Budget Reply sets the scene for an election campaign that will be fought on our children’s education and their futures.
“Mums, dads and school communities now have a choice between investment into schools and opportunities for our students, or Turnbull’s ongoing attack on education that will see the most vulnerable of our school children fall through the cracks.
“We commend Labor on their ongoing support of the full needs-based funding arrangement that would be honoured by the current ‘Gonski Agreements’. An agreement previously agreed to by the Coalition, only to be chopped up and thrown out by the Abbott-Turnbull Government.
“Labor’s commitment to deliver the full dollar amount already promised to schools will bring hope to parents, school principals and teachers, who today are unsure about how they will continue to deliver crucial programs to many of their students.
“Only real needs-based funding – not Turnbull’s defunct agenda of education cuts – can deliver programs that raise the bar and truly give our children a real shot at life beyond their school years.
“Teachers and principals across the country, parents, families and school communities will continue to fight for needs-based education. The challenge has been set by Labor tonight and we call on the Turnbull Government to accept that our community demands real investment on our children.
“Any politician who supports Turnbull’s cuts agenda will need to answer to the electorate.
“Ahead of the meeting between education ministers next week in Adelaide, we call on every state education minister to consider the future of each of their state’s students and block Turnbull’s plan of education cuts.”
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