Garrett slams Vic school funding plan

23 Feb 2013, 4:47 pm   -   Source: AAP
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The federal government has slammed the Victorian government's plan to implement its own funding model. (AAP)

The federal government has slammed the Victorian government's plan to implement its own funding model. (AAP)

The Baillieu government is jeopardising support for Victorian students by walking away from a national school funding model, the federal government says.

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The Baillieu government is jeopardising support for Victorian students by walking away from a national school funding model, the federal government says.

Premier Ted Baillieu has announced a new school funding plan for Victoria to implement the Gonski reforms, saying the state government will do a better job for its own education system than the commonwealth's one-size-fits-all approach.

The state plan was more focused, fair and effective and better able to address the needs of disadvantaged students, Mr Baillieu told reporters on Saturday.

The plan, to be phased in from next year, would deliver more than $400 million in additional funding to Victorian schools every year.

Federal Schools Minister Peter Garrett dismissed the claims, saying students would be best served by a national needs-based funding model.

"They are producing a new pick-and-choose funding model which is less than the amount that would be anticipated under the Gonski reforms," Mr Garrett told reporters in Melbourne on Saturday.

"(They're) expecting the commonwealth to pick up part of the tab and they haven't even bothered to discuss it with the commonwealth.

"We have a national plan for school improvement in front of us which can do the job that much better."

Mr Garrett said discussions between federal and state governments about what the proposed model would look like had been going on for months.

The reform elements were already on the table, and the commonwealth was just waiting for the states to agree.

"My door will always be open for negotiation," he said.

"But what are we to say about a proposal that is launched today which is asking the commonwealth for money, which deviates from the discussions and the reform directions that we've already started to work on under the Gonski panel review and finally, which shifts the cost to the commonwealth?"

Peter Garrett , Gonski

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