Union lifts pressure for more school funds

An Australian Education Union poll finds three-quarters of people want governments to give public schools more funding.

Teachers hope new proof of strong public support for increasing school funding will pressure the government to include more money for education in its next budget.

The federal government has pledged $2.8 billion in extra money for schools over the next four years.

But this falls $7 billion short of the six-year deal the previous Labor government had promised schools.

More than three in five people support the federal government paying the full $10 billion despite the difficult budget climate, a UMR poll commissioned by the Australian Education Union (AEU) and released on Friday shows.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne says he'll negotiate a new four-year funding agreement in 2017, the final year of the current one.

The AEU has been pushing for the federal government to commit to at least a fifth year of funding in May.

National president Angelo Gavrielatos says the poll results show the community expects the government to deliver the new Gonski-based funding system in full.

"No amount of policy backflips or partisan appointments to unnecessary reviews have distracted the community from resounding support for Gonski," he said in a statement.

Three-quarters of those polled said it was important for governments to increase funding to public schools.

Almost half those polled rated the Abbott government's management of school education poorly.

More than half didn't trust Prime Minister Tony Abbott to keep election promises on schools but nearly four in five said it was important he did so.

The poll surveyed 1000 people in late January.


2 min read

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Updated

Source: AAP


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