The coalition is seeking to trump Labor by promising $314 million to support school students with disabilities.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott made the announcement in Adelaide, a day after Prime Minister Julia Gillard promised a number of disabilities measures worth about $200 million.
The coalition program, which includes a portable education card to the value of up to $20,000 a year, would give students with disabilities the same opportunities their school classmates took for granted, Mr Abbott said.
About 6000 students will benefit from the rebate initially, Mr Abbott said.
"It will enable pupils with a disability to choose the school that they most wanted to go to," he said.
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"I'd like to think that it's a breakthrough initiative."
Mr Abbott said the money would follow the student, instead of just being given to a certain institution.
"This is very important if the families of children with disabilities are to have the educational choice that they want," he said.
Mr Abbott said he wanted government spending to directly help people.
"We have had too much spending under the Rudd-Gillard government which has built up government, which has built up bureaucracy.
"What we want to do with our spending program is to try to target the spending to people's real needs, and as far as it is humanly possible, we want the people who will benefit to control the spending of that money."
